


Teacher's Pet

by PerkyGoth14



Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-02 14:59:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 37,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5252558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PerkyGoth14/pseuds/PerkyGoth14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three orphaned children are given a mysterious and whimsical new tutor who steps in and gives them helping hands along with his outrageous sense of humor. However, he seems very familiar to them and little do they know, he can help them out with their problem of being unable to find a home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Tutor

There were three children who lived in an orphanage together, they had all become friends and thought of each other as family. One of the girls was not an orphan herself technically, but her guardian ran the orphanage and had taken her under her wing. The other girl and the one boy were so close like they were biological siblings, but they actually were not. They always wished they could go out of the orphanage and find out who they truly were, but nobody knew who they were, except for maybe one person... A man in a suit came to the front doors and knocked, waiting for the caregiver to answer him and let him inside. And where after a short while, the caregiver did indeed answer the door.

"Oh, my, hello, sir, we didn't know you were coming." The caregiver smiled nervously.

"Sorry, my bus was early..." the man chuckled bashfully.

There was yelling and screaming heard from inside the orphanage.

The caregiver released a long-suffering sigh, but she kept a smile to the caregiver. "My apologies... Welcome to our little home for those without one, Mr...?"

"Geller." the man gave his name.

The caregiver shook his hand and led him inside as there were kids that were either playing or sitting and reading.

"So, um, what would you be looking for in a child, Mr. Geller?" The caretaker asked.

"Oh, actually, I was here for the tutoring program," Mr. Geller told her. "I heard you were looking for one?"

"Oh, yes..." the caregiver nodded. "These three children are the only ones interested in education... The other children don't really seem to care..."

"I'd like to meet them..." Mr. Geller insisted.

The caregiver nodded and decided to find the three children. "One of them is my great-niece, I'll be right back..." she climbed up the stairs.

"Take your time!" Mr. Geller called to her. He then looked around, seeing the other kids play.

The three kids were in one room, there was a girl with glasses and a ponytail, wearing a sweater with a skirt and boots. The boy had short black hair, wearing a long-sleeved shirt and sneakers with shorts. Finally, a girl with short hair was wearing a dress she didn't seem to like. They were all staring out the window.

"I swear... We're just destined to be somewhere else than this crummy old place..." the girl with glasses said. "It's just a feeling..."

"You've been saying that your whole life and you never got adopted!" the girl with short hair folded her arms.

"Well, maybe just maybe, we do belong somewhere else than this place." The boy with short black hair said.

"I just know it..." the girl with glasses insisted as she looked out the window. "I don't know where I came from, but I have to go out and find out!"

"And where I'm going with you to find out where I came from too." The boy with short black hair said.

"I barely remember my parents..." the girl with short hair shrugged. "What the heck? I'm in..." she smiled to them, being their friend after all.

"We'll look together..." the girl with glasses decided.

They put their hands together like a team and threw them in the air with a cheer. The caregiver knocked sharply on the door.

"Aunt Mary!" the girl with short hair gasped, worried that they might've been in trouble.

"Quick, just act natural." The boy with short black hair whispered to his two friends.

The girls nodded and gave innocent smiles with the boy. The girl with glasses overdid it a little though, she had wanted to be an actress.

The caregiver walked into the room. "Children, are you being bad?"

"No, Ms. Mary..." the three kids droned, even the girl with short hair had to call her that when around the orphans.

"I'd like you to meet your new tutor," Mary told them. "He's downstairs in the foyer and he would very much love to meet you."

"We'll be right down." The boy with the short black hair said.

"See that you do..." Mary nodded firmly. She wasn't exactly mean and nasty, she was just very strict when it came to rules and she wouldn't be afraid to harm a child by hitting their hands with a ruler if they acted out, after all, that was what her mother did for her when she was growing up.

The three kids sighed. Great, another adult that would hate them... They never understood why on visiting days, but no adult just didn't want anything to do with them. They crept down the stairs as Mary told Mr. Geller the children would be down momentarily.

"Thank you, I can't wait to meet them." Mr. Geller smiled.

The three kids looked through the stairwell as Mr. Geller talked with the caregiver.

"He seems nice..." the black-haired boy commented.

"I wasn't staring..." the girl with glasses said rather quickly and nervously.

"We didn't say you were..." the short-haired girl teased.

Mr. Geller looked to the stairwell and saw them and knew that to gain their trust, he had to be gentle. The kids then hid their faces.

Mary turned her head at the stairwell. "Well, are you three going to come out or am I going to have to pull you by your ears?"

The kids sighed, they then stood up, came down the stairs, and stood in front of the kindly man, the girls curtsied while the boy bowed. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Geller." they said in unison.

"It's very nice to meet you three as well, why don't each of you give me your names, so I can get to know more about each of you?" Mr. Geller smiled.

"Well, I'm Lee..." the boy gave his name.

"I'm Samantha, but please, call me Sam..." the girl with short-hair added.

The girl with glasses looked very shy and nervous around Geller, even more than usual whenever she would meet someone new and felt herself grow physically smaller around him. "...Um..."

"Well, ... 'Um'... It's nice to meet you..." Mr. Geller chuckled in an attempt to put her in a better mood. "Is that one M or two?"

"No, no, my name is not 'Um', m-my name is Cynthia." the shy girl told.

"Cynthia..." Mr. Geller smiled fondly. "What a beautiful name for such a beautiful young lady..."

Cynthia smiled bashfully with a shy giggle, putting her hands together by her waist.

"Such wonderful children you seem to be..." Mr. Geller stood back straight up. "I hope we can all become friends... I will see you all on Monday to Friday mornings, and we'll break for lunch... After lessons, I must return to my home."

"Yes, Mr. Geller..." the kids nodded.

"I hope you don't mind if my niece joins on the lessons..." Mary put an arm around Sam. "I apologize if she gives any trouble, she's a bit of a ruffian."

"Oh, don't worry, it won't be a problem at all." Mr. Geller said.

"Thank you for helping..." Mary told him. "Lee and Cynthia are close, they've been best friends since they first met... They're like a brother and sister."

"I see..." Mr. Geller noted.

"Here, let me show you around..." Mary then left with the new man in the orphanage and he followed behind her.

Mr. Geller looked to the kids, studying his eyes on them, the kids looked back, a little worried, thinking he might be someone bad, but they said nothing and let him go.

"Well, he does seem nice, but why did he look back at us while following behind Ms. Mary?" Lee asked.

Sam shrugged. "Maybe he knows we snuck cookies last night after curfew..." she whispered.

"Don't be silly..." Lee said to her. "I don't know why, but he seemed kinda familiar... Don't you think, Cynthia?"

Cynthia shook her head, then looked to her friends. "I'm sorry, did you guys say something?"

"He looked kinda familiar." Lee repeated of what he said.

"Oh, yeah..." Cynthia looked back after looking to them. "I... Think I wanna talk with him..."

Sam held her back. "You know what my aunt does to kids who interrupt..."

Cynthia sighed. "I know... I feel funny around him, guys... Funny weird..."

"Well, maybe she'll let you talk with him after she shows him around." Lee said.

"Okay..." Cynthia nodded. "Okay... Okay... Okay..."

"Cyn, chill..." Sam told her. "You like him, don't you?"

"Of course I like him, we're gonna have a new tutor!" Cynthia told her, missing the point again of childhood obviousness, but she usually missed out on it. She was always the last one to get jokes and laugh with the crowd, took expressions seriously sometimes, and sometimes, she just didn't click with the other kids.

"Okay, just calm down, try taking deep breaths." Lee advised Cynthia.

Cynthia did as he said, taking breaths, but they seemed shaky and nervous. She always did what he advised though since they were actually like brother and sister, they always looked out for each other. Mostly Lee to Cynthia, but still...

"Okay, maybe breathing through a paper bag would work much better, Cynthia." Lee said, giving her a brown paper bag.

Cynthia took the bag and breathed frantically at first, but eventually calmed down.

"It's like you're her brother or something..." Sam chuckled, but not in a mean way.

"Well, ever since the day we met, I became like her brother and have always looked out for her." Lee told her.

"It's true..." Cynthia said, now slowly calming down. "We may not have a family, but we have each other."

"Yeah and whatever we go through, we'll be able to go through it together." Lee smiled.

Cynthia smiled back. Sam smiled, she was a little jealous, but she was happy for them.


	2. Something About Mr. Geller

Mary came back with Mr. Geller, who was now eating a cookie, listening to what Mary told him, and slowly nodded, but when her back was turned, he looked bored out of his mind and made his other hand move its fingers up and down, calling Mary a chatterbox in secret like how many children would. The kids saw this and they hid laughs. 

Mr. Geller then mimed a rope spin around his neck and he dragged the imaginary rope, sticking his tongue out, unknown to Mary. This caused the kids to hide their laughs again and where this seemed to show a side of him that Lee, Sam, and Cynthia didn't meet before. Mary looked back, but the four of them looked innocent and quiet, she then shrugged and continued on with what she was telling Mr. Geller.

'He's both nice and secretly funny,' Lee thought to himself. 'And yet, he's also oddly familiar somehow.'

Mr. Geller then straightened himself up once Mary turned back to him.

"Do you have any questions, Mr. Geller?" Mary asked.

"No, ma'am..." Mr. Geller shook his head. "I'm really looking forward to working here." 

"Good, you'll start after the weekend..." Mary nodded to him. 

"Thank you, ma'am." Mr. Geller said.

"Now, if there isn't anything else, you're free to go..." Mary nodded to him.

"Thank you, I'll see you after the weekend..." Mr. Geller nodded, grabbing his bag and started to walk off, he then waved to the kids before going out the doors. 

They waved back at him, not realizing that Cynthia didn't get her chance to talk to him.

"Maybe when he gets back." Lee told Cynthia.

Cynthia sighed and nodded. "Next time..." 

"You like him like him, don't you?" Sam asked.

Cynthia didn't realize that meant 'love' in kid talk, so she just shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"Ooh." Lee said.

"What?" Cynthia tilted her head.

Lee and Sam smiled cheekily to each other. 

"What!?" Cynthia asked them. "What'd I say?" 

"You like him like him, which means, that you love him." Lee told her.

"That makes no sense, besides, I don't..." Cynthia ignored that, but her face turned bright red. 

"Ooh, you so love him." Lee smiled.

"Nuh-uh!" Cynthia retorted.

Mary then came back across the room, making the kids be silent for a moment. "I'm getting dinner started..."

Sam sighed, knowing she had to go with her aunt, she said goodbye to her friends and went off with her guardian to make dinner for her and the others. 

"What do you think we'll have for dinner tonight, Cynthia?" Lee asked.

"Well, we haven't had turkey in a while..." Cynthia shrugged as she went to sit on the couch. "Maybe that." 

"Yeah, maybe, but we could also be having chicken or spaghetti," Lee shrugged. "So, when should we plan it?"

Cynthia looked curious. "Plan what...?" she narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you gonna try to escape?"

"No, we should meet that tutor, get to know him a little..." Lee explained. "Doesn't he look familiar to you?"

Cynthia shrugged and held her arms.

"Well, he does to me." Lee said.

"I can't tell..." Cynthia remvoed her glasses and rubbed them against her sweater. "Maybe the next time we see him... I never thought I'd say this, but I hope the weekend goes by soon!" 

"You so love him." Lee smiled.

"Shut it!" Cynthia grabbed a pillow and buried her face behind it. 

Mr. Geller left the orphanage and went back to his apartment building. Once he got to his room, he noticed a framed picture was crooked, he then straightened it, revealing to be twin children who strongly resembled Cynthia and Lee, but at a very early age. "Don't worry, this will all be cleared up soon when you're ready..." he whispered to the picture, then walked off to his bedroom.

Sam was peeling and washing potatoes with her aunt. 

"So, what were you three talking about upstairs?" Mary asked her niece while they were getting dinner ready.

"Really?" Mary asked. "Like what?"

"Just kid stuff..." Sam shrugged innocently. 

"Do you think you'll like Mr. Geller?" Mary asked as she took the potatoes her niece had scrubbed and peeled for her.

"Yeah, he seems really nice." Sam smiled.

"Yes, he does..." Mary chuckled, seeming to be flattered by that statement. "I hope he doesn't mind you all..."

"Oh, I'm sure that we won't be any trouble to him at all and maybe while he's teaching us, Lee and Cynthia can learn who they are." Sam smiled.

"Oh, sweetheart, I don't think Mr. Geller would know anything about that..." Mary cooed, ruffling up her niece's hair. "It's nice that you want to help your friends though... Just give me those potatoes since you're done with them."

Sam nodded and put the potatoes in the basket for her guardian, allowing her to take them. Mary then put the potatoes in a pot and started to cook up supper. It took a while, but the entire dinner was finally ready and where it was mashed potatoes, gravy, and steak.


	3. Slice of Hell

Getting dinner in the orphanage was always an uneasy task. There were many children, so sometimes they had to fight each other just to get one table scrap. Usually if this was the case, Sam would save a couple of leftover plates and give them to Lee and Cynthia so they wouldn't go hungry for the night. Luckily, winter was approaching, so there weren't as many kids at the table, but it was still hard to get a meal here and there, not to mention bullies.

"Don't worry, Cynthia, if anyone tries to bully you and Sam, I'll make sure they leave you and Sam alone." Lee assured her.

"Of course you'd protect Sam..." Cynthia had a teasing face. 

"What're you talking about?" Lee looked at her with a small smile. "She's our friend..."

"Yeah... I know..." Cynthia smirked. "She's more than that to you though."

"What?" Lee blushed. "N-No, she's just a friend."

"Sure, Lee..." Cynthia giggled, now she got him this time.

Lee rolled his eyes and looked away, trying to ignore her words. "You're a pain..."

"You love me though." Cynthia teased.

The two then tried to get themselves some dinner before it would be almost all gone.

"Hopefully there's still some food left." Lee said.

"I hope there is..." Cynthia sighed. "I remember when they had those chicken nuggets for lunch and all that was left was crumbs not even big enough for the mice!"

The dining room table was filled with other crazy and rambunctious kids who were nearly trying to kill each other just to get some food. Lee and Cynthia gulped, but they dived in and tried to get themselves at least one plate before bedtime.

'Must get a plate of food.' Lee thought to himself.

Cynthia felt herself get weak once the smell of the food wafted in her nose and she saw the lucky ones who got to eat it.

"Dang it." Cynthia groaned. Even the gravy looked appetizing and that made her stomach turn.

Finally, they saw two plates of mashed potatoes with the steak. The two ran for them as fast as they could. It felt like the light at the end of the tunnel into Heaven. There came a large boy though that stood in front of them and picked up both plates with an evil smile to them.

"Oh, come on!" Lee groaned.

"Ya snooze ya lose..." the boy laughed at them as he walked off with both plates.

"That was for us!" Cynthia groaned. "You got a plate in your head!?"

"No, you want one in yours?" the boy retorted.

Cynthia backed up, staying quiet.

"That's what I thought, you little mouse..." the boy scoffed as he continued to walk off.

"We can't just let him get away with those two extra plates." Lee said.

"We can't tattle!" Cynthia warned him. "They say 'snitches get stitches'..."

"I know, but if we don't tell Ms. Mary, we'll starve." Lee said.

Cynthia sighed, she hated that it had to result to that. 

Mary was in her office, eating her own dinner with Sam. There was then a knock at the door. Sam decided to get it for her aunt and she nodded to her friends, letting them in.

"Ms. Mary, there were two plates of food for us, but a bully took them from us..." Cynthia tattled.

"And where this isn't tattling, it's telling the truth, telling on a bully." Lee added.

"Well, I don't condone bullying or tattling... Did you recognize the bully?" Mary queried.

"Yes, ma'am, it was Archibald..." Cynthia pouted.

"Not again..." Mary groaned, being familiar with the boy who always used his bigness to bully others that are smaller than him to which he sees as weak. 

"Oh, and um, no need to tell him that we were here, right?" Cynthia smiled nervously, but Mary pushed the call button to summon the boy into her office.

"Unfortunately, she is." Lee said.

"Oh, dear..." Cynthia frowned.

Sam stood protectively between her friends. Archibald slammed the door open and stormed over to Mary's desk.

"Did you take two plates of food without letting Leland or Cynthia have any?" Mary queried.

"Noooo." Archibald lied.

Lee and Cynthia were angry that he lied, but they couldn't say anything, otherwise they might get in worse trouble than already were by telling Ms. Mary what had happened.

"You're a very bad boy, you know that, right?" Mary folded her arms. "I'm afraid you're going to be scrubbing toilets before bed tonight with no dessert."

Archibald frowned and looked angry. "Yes, ma'am..."

"Go hug and make up to Cynthia and Leland." Mary then demanded.

"Um, my name is Lee, Ms. Mary." Lee corrected her.

Mary nodded, but still made Archibald go to them.

Archibald turned to the two, growling at them very deathly, he then walked up to both of them and hugged them, rather tight, on purpose to hurt them. "I swear, you two are SO dead!" he whispered sharply before letting go and stormed out of the office.

"Thank you, Ms. Mary." Lee said.

"Yes... Thank you..." Cynthia whispered, a little fearfully.

Mary nodded to them and dismissed them. She was aware that Archibald was a bully and a liar and that punishing him put him in a worse mood, but she had rules to follow herself. Cynthia went to her room and stared out the window as the other girls were getting ready for bed, talking about boys and fashion while she was never interested in stuff like that. She was only interested into seeing Mr. Geller again. She looked as the other girls fell asleep and giggled in their sleep, making her roll her eyes to them, but she looked out the window, really wanting to see that man again.

Hopefully the weekend would go by fast. Lee and Sam hoped the same thing. Little did they know, this weekend actually did go by fast like most weekends, but not as quick for everybody else who enjoyed the weekend and hated weekdays because they had to go back to their tutoring activities. And where each day that passed told them that it was getting close to seeing Mr. Geller again.


	4. First Day of Class

It was a couple of hours after breakfast, but Mr. Geller finally came back, he was carrying a briefcase and a satchel. "Sorry I'm late, Ms. Mary," he smiled apologetically to the caregiver. "My cat had a doctor's appointment Sunday night and she was really anxious to come back home today."

"I understand, Mr. Geller, your students are waiting for you inside." Mary told him.

"Thank you..." Geller smiled as he walked in. "Fourth door on the left?"

Ms. Mary nodded.

Geller nodded and went to that very door and opened to find a small classroom like room with desks, a chalkboard, a desk for him, and there was a flag by the door. "Morning..." he greeted the students, but only saw Sam, Cynthia, and Lee. "Oh, is it just you three?" 

"Everyone else went back to bed..." Cynthia frowned.

"Yeah, the rest of the kids here don't really like to learn." Lee told him.

"How sad..." Geller frowned as he clicked his briefcase to open it up as he put the satchel on the desk too. "Nice to see young folks like yourselves interested in learning though..."

The three kids smiled to themselves.

"Oh, Samantha, I didn't realize you were home educated too..." Geller smiled.

Sam shrugged. "When I can... Please call me 'Sam'."

"Right... Sam..." Geller respected her preference.

"So, what are we gonna learn today, sir, how to get strong?" Lee guessed.

Geller chuckled. "Maybe for later, I just wanna see what you all know and get to know you better... First things first, let's do an introduction, shall we?" he then cleared his throat and stood in front of the room, removing his coat and straightening his tie. "Hello, my name is Mr. Geller, I am in my mid to late thirties... I am currently a tutor for what look like to be fine, nice, young individuals. I live with my cat I named Pandora because she's a treasure to me, I speak three languages, and I'm looking forward to spending time with you children."

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Geller." All three kids smiled.

"Now it's your turns, who wants to go first?" Mr. Geller asked them.

The kids looked to each other.

"Come on, children, don't be shy..." Mr. Geller insisted, then pointed to Cynthia. "How 'bout you, sweetheart?"

"M-M-Me?" Cynthia squeaked, a little nervously.

"I never got a chance to hear much from you last time, come on, now..." Mr. Geller encouraged.

Cynthia sunk in her seat, looking very frightened and nervous.

"You can do it, Cynthia." Lee assured her.

"Yeah, come on..." Sam added.

Cynthia looked to her friends, she took a deep breath and stood up from her seat. "M-My name is Cynthia..." she got it off her chest, she didn't know why she felt so nervous and scared, even more than usual, but she just did. "Um... I like to read books and sometimes, I make my own stories..."

"Oh, a writer..." Mr. Geller sounded interested. 

"I sometimes write poetry when I'm upset about long winters," Cynthia continued. "Sometimes I wanna open one of my stories from my notebook and escape into a different world..."

"That seems wonderful, would you mind showing us one of your stories?" Mr. Geller asked.

"Um... If you want to..." Cynthia tapped her knuckles together. "They're in a notebook in my room..."

"Oh, well, then would you mind getting your notebook for us?" Mr. Geller asked.

"Oh, um, s-sure." Cynthia smiled, going to her room to get her notebook.

Mr. Geller smiled as she left the room and looked back to Lee and Sam. "What a nice girl."

"That's Cynthia for ya." Sam smiled.

"Is she your sister?" Mr. Geller asked.

"No, but, she feels like one..." Sam explained. "We've been friends for a long time, but she isn't my sister..."

"Fascinating..." Mr. Geller commented, a twinkle in his eye seemed to appear from nowhere.

"Mr. Geller, you seem oddly familiar." Lee said.

"How so?" Mr. Geller smiled innocently. "I'm not sure I know what you're talking about."

"You just seem familiar somehow." Lee said.

"Oh, sure it's a coincidence..." Mr. Geller pressed his lips together to look like a duck.

After a short while, Cynthia came back with her notebook.

Mr. Geller took the notebook. "What do you recommend?"

Cynthia shrugged. "I have a story where a girl finds out she's the long-lost princess of a hidden land that's been kept from her nearly her whole life."

"Ooh, what an interesting choice." Mr. Geller smiled.

Cynthia smiled bashfully.

Mr. Geller passed a poem that had his name on it. "What's this?"

"Uhh... N-No, don't read that, sir!" Cynthia grew nervous.

"Cynthia, what is it?" Lee whispered.

"Uh, nothing...." Cynthia stuttered.

Mr. Geller then went to the story Cynthia suggested and decided to read it, leaving the kids with their thoughts for now.

'This guy just seems so familiar, but where have I seen him before other than the first time he came over.' Lee thought to himself.

Sam twiddled her fingers, trying to entertain herself. Mr. Geller kept reading, he even grabbed his chest and looked very shocked at some of the detail, Cynthia wrote like a professional novelist. Cynthia stared out the window, getting lost in her daydreams. Lee began to do the same thing, trying to keep himself preoccupied.

"Cynthia!" Mr. Geller nearly gasped once he finished. "This is incredible!"

Cynthia blushed a little. "Aw, go on... I'm only a little kid... That can't be the best thing you ever read."

"Actually it is, it really is." Mr. Geller smiled.

Cynthia bit her lip and crossed her legs back and forth.

Mr. Geller put the notebook down and applauded her. "Bravo, bravo!"

Cynthia giggled sheepishly. "Thank you, sir..."

"Now, how's about you?" Mr. Geller asked, pointing to Lee.

"Me?" Lee pointed to himself.

"Please, stand up." Mr. Geller allowed.

"Um, y-yes, sir." Lee answered, standing up.

"Tell us about yourself, Lee." Mr. Geller prompted.

"Um, well..." Lee rubbed his arm. "My name is Leland, but I prefer to be called 'Lee'... Though a lot of bullies and adults call me Leland."

"I'll call you 'Lee'." Mr. Geller smiled.

Lee smiled back, then continued on. "Well, I like to read too, but I mostly play sports when I can.... That's all I can really say... Sorry, Mr. Geller."

"It's quite alright, tell me, do you have any weights? Playing sports isn't always the best way to get stronger, you must also exercise, especially with weights." Mr. Geller told him.

"Whenever I can..." Lee smiled at his question, becoming more animated. "We usually make trips on outings and one of them is a professional gym... We only go once a month though... Like to the movies."

"Well then, I guess I'll have to make you all some field trips..." Mr. Geller smiled to the kids. "We'll go to the gym, we'll go to the movies, the Mall, we'll go to the theater..."

"Theater?" Cynthia's eyes lit up.

"Yes, they do an excellent stage production of The Nutcracker Suite, I usually go every year before Christmas," Mr. Geller chuckled. "It makes me feel giddy as a school girl... I take it you're fond of theater, Cynthia?"

"Y-Yes, sir..." Cynthia smiled with a blush. "When I don't write, I act."

"It's true, she's a double threat, a writer and an actor." Lee told him.

Cynthia smiled bashfully at what Lee considered her as.

"Mercy me!" Mr. Geller pulled a brief Southern drawl, putting his hand to his heart. "I do declare, Miss Cynthia, you are very well-rounded!"

"I don't eat that much..." Cynthia frowned, not knowing what he meant.

"No, no, 'well-rounded' means you have a lot of interesting activities to keep yourself busy and happy," Mr. Geller explained with a smile. "You'd make an excellent college student."

"Oh..." Cynthia smiled with a blush. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, now the only one who hasn't done an introduction is you, dear." Mr. Geller said to Sam.

"Oh, uhh... I don't have anything to say..." Sam admitted.

"Come on now, Samantha, I'm sure you have something to tell me about..." Mr. Geller insisted. "Come on, don't be shy..."

"Um, well, okay and I like to be called Sam." Sam reminded him before standing up.

"Right... Sam... I apologize..." Mr. Geller smiled. "Carry on."

"Um, well, my name is Samantha, but I like to be called Sam." Sam informed him.

"And what else?" Mr. Geller prompted.

Sam bit her lip a little. "Well... Don't tell my aunt, but I like to play with the boys sometimes and do sports... She wants me to be a proper young lady though..."

"Oh, well, don't worry, Sam, your secret is safe with me." Mr. Geller said.

"Thank you, sir..." Sam smiled in relief.

"Now, anything else that anyone wish to share with me?" Mr. Geller asked.

The kids looked to each other and said nothing.

"Okay, very well then..." Mr. Geller took out three small stacks of paper. "I know it's our first day together, but I wish for you to take a test... Don't worry, there's no right or wrong answers, I'd just like to see what you already know so I know what to teach you and help you if you need it."

"Yes, sir." Sam, Lee, and Cynthia smiled.

"Don't worry if you get a low score or anything, I just want to see what you know..." Mr. Geller handed them the packets and gave them freshly sharpened pencils.

"Thank you, sir." Lee said.

"I'll give you... Ohh.... Say an hour?" Mr. Geller offered. "After the first 30 minutes, we can take a break, and then when we're ready, jump right back into it?"

"Yes, sir." All three kids said in unison.

Mr. Geller took out a timer and started to set it. "Don't be scared, this is no big deal, I promise."

Lee, Sam, and Cynthia all then started to get to work on their sheets. Mr. Geller smiled and waited for them to finish the first half hour as he read a mysterious book. Lee, Cynthia, and Sam all were now concentrated on their homework, not wasting a second. Mr. Geller watched them and looked through his book to occupy his time until his timer would go off.

After a while, the timer finally went off.

Mr. Geller held the timer and turned it off, turning to the children. "Pencils down for now."

The three kids did as he said.

"That's not so bad, now is it?" Mr. Geller smiled innocently.

"No, it isn't." All three kids smiled.

"You're halfway there too..." Mr. Geller smiled to them. 

"What's in your bag?" Sam asked, curiously.

"Oh, some toys and books," Mr. Geller replied innocently. "I wasn't sure how old you all were, but I was hoping we could play and read together."

"We'd love that, what did you bring?" Lee asked.

"Let's see..." Mr. Geller looked through his bags. "I got a couple of board games, playing cards, a beach ball, some jump ropes..."

"Cool!" Lee, Cynthia, and Sam cheered.

Mr. Geller giggled at their excitement. "Cool!" he repeated them, clapping his hands together like an excited child.

This caused for all three kids to laugh at his silliness.

"Oh, am I funny to you?" Mr. Geller folded his arms, he then turned away. "I can barely tell you apart... Let me put on my glasses..." he then found a pair of glasses, folded them open and put them over his eyes, showing they had buggy eyes that could spring out.

The kids laughed a little louder, really enjoying him.

"Please stop, we can't breathe, we can't breathe!" Lee laughed.

Mr. Geller stopped, removing the glasses and let them breathe.

Cynthia giggled. "You're silly..."

"No, you're silly..." Mr. Geller lightly shoved her, but not hurting her.

"No, Cynthia's right, you're silly." Lee smiled.

"I think you're all silly..." Mr. Geller giggled as he let them go through his toy bag to take out whatever they would want.

'Wow, he's nice funny, silly, and fun.' Lee thought to himself with a smile.

Lee, Cynthia, and Sam all looked through the bag.

Mr. Geller smiled to them, but then he felt a vibration, he reached into his pocket and took out his phone. "I have to take this..." he said, very seriously and stepped out of the room for a moment, shutting the door behind him.

Lee, being the curious and almost strongest out of the three of them, sneaked to the door and began to overhear of what was going on. Sam and Cynthia watched him, so they decided to go too, but they stayed a further distance.


	5. Mysterious Call

"What do you want now?" Mr. Geller demanded, sounding very sharp and angry on his phone.

'Did you find them yet?' a voice on the other line nearly growled at him.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, maybe I'm still looking..." Mr. Geller retorted. "There's millions of children in places like this!"

'Listen to me, find them and once you have inform me immediately, understand?!' The voice on the other line growled at him.

"Aye-Aye, Captain..." Mr. Geller sighed, sounding miserable now and even gave a salute as he was on the phone.

'And remember, one word and no matter where they are, I will get them myself if I have to and make sure they disappear with me.' The voice warned him.

Mr. Geller sighed with his eyes shut and he looked very upset. "Of course... Just don't hurt them..."

'You let ME worry about them...' the voice told him before hanging up. 'Remember... You got by Friday or else it won't be pretty for you...' 

Mr. Geller nodded, then hung up his own phone and started to make his way back into the classroom. Lee was too shocked too move from the door before it was too late.

Mr. Geller heaved an exhausted sigh and opened the door, then blinked once he saw Lee standing right there. "Oh, Lee... Are you all right?" he asked, then slightly tilted his head. "Oh, you look so pale... Maybe I should fetch Ms. Mary for you."

Lee didn't answer to him, but when Mr. Geller tried to reach out to him, the black-haired boy got away from him and ran away from him, telling the man that he had overheard his conversation on the phone.

"Lee... Now... Settle down..." Mr. Geller put his hands up.

Lee shook his head and ran off.

"LEE!" Mr. Geller yelled out, sounding serious again and not goofy.

But Lee didn't listen to him, he just kept running and running and didn't look back.

Mr. Geller bit his lip a little anxiously.

"Mr. Geller?"

Mr. Geller let out a womanly shriek, then turned to see the caregiver. "Oh, hello, Ms. Mary..." he smiled anxiously to her.

"What's going on?" Mary asked.

"Oh, nothing..." Mr. Geller smiled nervously. "Why would anything be wrong? Excuse me a moment..." he then ran down the hallway to find the runaway boy. "LEE!"

"Why do I have a feeling this is more than just nothing?" Mary asked herself.

Cynthia and Sam poked their heads out the door, very curious and lost into what was going on.

"Lee..." Mr. Geller called as he wandered around the halls. "Lee! Lee, you don't have to be afraid of me, I'd never hurt you!"

"Leave me alone!" Lee called out from the corner of the hallway.

"Lee?" Mr. Geller turned his head and followed the source of the noise.

"Please, just leave me alone!" Lee cried. "I don't even know if I can trust you anymore!"

"You heard my phone call..." Mr. Geller frowned. "Lee... I can explain... Just please listen to me."

"I-I'm listening." Lee sniffled.

Mr. Geller bit his lip. "I... I actually can't right now..."

Lee looked at him and then went to run off again.

"It's not what you think, I swear!" Mr. Geller cried. "Oh, dear..." he sighed softly.

Lee stopped after going half-way across the hall and then turned around to Mr. Geller and was going to ask him a personal question with something in his eyes he hadn't had in his eyes towards an adult ever since every adoption day he, Sam, and Cynthia had been to.

"How old were they? And when were they born?" Lee asked him.

"E-Excuse me?" Mr. Geller asked with a nervous chuckle and smile.

"Please tell me how old were they and when is their birthday?" Lee begged. "Please."

"Whom?" Mr. Geller bit his lip.

"The children you were talking about..." Lee lightly demanded. 

Mr. Geller paused. "I... Can't tell you."

"Oh, I'm I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry, it's just that I've been in this orphanage for almost my whole entire life and Cynthia has also lived here for almost her entire life," Lee said. "So, I-I just thought that....."

"Oh, Lee, please don't cry..." Mr. Geller frowned and bent down to his height. He then came closer and whispered. "If I tell you, they will punish me..."

"They?" Lee wondered.

"I said too much already..." Mr. Geller backed up a little. "I-I'm afraid I need to leave now! I'll come back!"

Lee tried to stop him, but found that he couldn't and was just left alone with his overwhelming thoughts.

Mr. Geller ran out the doors and looked around, hoping no one had seen him, and smiled in relief once there was no one there. "Oh, that was close..."

"Or so you think..." a voice told him, then he was pulled behind a tree.

"Lee! Lee!" Cynthia and Sam ran over to their friend.

"G-Girls." Lee said, surprised, forgetting that they were still in the room.

"Lee, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"Everything was just fine earlier..." Cynthia added.

"I-I overheard Mr. Geller talking to someone on the phone." Lee said before telling them everything that he heard.

Sam and Cynthia's eyes widened, they looked very curious and overwhelmed now as well.

"Kids, I'm sorry to say this..." Mary walked over. "Mr. Geller has to take a personal day now, something suddenly came up... His cat's not feeling well again, he's worried that she might be sick or dying."

"Really? But he just left." Lee said.

"I was just given a note from him..." Mary replied, insisting. "I'm sorry, kids..." she then walked off.

"But... How can that be?" Lee growled slightly.

"I think we need to keep an eye on our new friend..." Cynthia narrowed her eyes slightly in a shifty way like she suspected something.

"After lunch, we'll go for our walk, and we'll find out where he lives..." Sam suggested.

"Yeah." Lee nodded.

"Let nothing stop us..." Sam sounded determined.

"I-I-I dunno, guys..." Cynthia grew a little cowardly. "Following a grown man around all day long sounds kinda dangerous... We might get hurt."

"If we don't follow him and find out where he lives, his life might be in danger with the person on the phone he was talking to." Lee said.

"Oooh,..." Cynthia still felt unsure, but she found herself unable to resist going with Lee and Sam, they were her best friends, wherever they went, she went.

"Hopefully this is all cleared up soon..." Sam hoped for their new 'friend'.

"I just hope he isn't what he seems..." Lee sounded angry, but calmed himself down.

"Well, maybe if we were somewhere secret that no one would ever find us talking with him, then maybe he could tell us more about him." Cynthia smiled.

"We'll work something out now, plan it out during lunch, and then we'll play it out after we eat." Lee proposed.

"Yeah!" Sam agreed. "You're so smart!"

"Thanks..." Lee smiled and blushed.


	6. Confrontation

Archibald came down the hallway, grabbed Cynthia's ponytail and started to drag her down the hall.

"Hey!" Cynthia yelped. "Let go of me!"

"You're helping me clean the toilets, Four Eyes!" Archibald laughed.

"Hey, let her go!" Lee told him.

"Who's gonna make me?" Archibald laughed, still dragging Cynthia. 

Cynthia screamed as she was forced into the boy's bathroom and Archibald had locked the door behind him.

"Hey, you look thirsty, let's get ya some water, huh?" Archibald laughed, then lifted the toilet seat and started to flush.

Cynthia screamed and blubbered from her undeserved punishment.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Lee yelled.

Archibald laughed and kept doing his thing while Cynthia screamed. "Aw, shut up, ya little monkey!"

Sam tried to open the door, but of course, it was locked. "Archie, you're gonna be in so much trouble when my aunt hears about this!"

"Open up right now!" Lee yelled.

"Oh, I will..." Archibald laughed evilly. He then lowered the toilet seat while Cynthia moaned in misery with her head still in. He then took her glasses and actually broke them, leaving them on the floor by her knees and he laughed as he opened the door and walked off.

Lee rushed in and helped Cynthia out of the toilet. Cynthia mumbled with tears streaming down her face. Sam took one of the towels and dried Cynthia off, carefully and gently.

"Cynthia, I know that this isn't something any child should do except for when they really want to." Lee said.

"He's just so MEAN!" Cynthia wailed. "I wanna teach him a lesson he won't forget!"

"I agree." Lee said.

"I wonder what crawled up his butt and died..." Sam sighed with them. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up a little..."

"Yeah." Lee nodded.

The kids went to the room they usually all hang out in together and decided to clean Cynthia up a little. Unfortunately, they could not fix her glasses, so Cynthia just wore the pair of glasses she had last year. While they did, they worked on their plan to see Mr. Geller again as soon as possible. And where they were also planning their revenge on Archibald.

"Which do we do first though?" Sam asked.

"Let's see... It's after 10:00 now..." Cynthia noted. "Think we got time to get back on a certain bully?"

"Seems like a perfect time." Lee said.

"Okay, then what should we do?" Sam asked.

"I wanna drop something on his FAT HEAD!" Cynthia sounded very aggressive since she was Archibald's latest victim and all.

"Like a bucket of water?" Lee asked.

"Something worse..." Cynthia folded her arms with a smirk. "Like slime!" she then thought again. "Spiders!" she then paused once more. "Blood!"

"That's going a little bit overboard?" Sam asked.

Cynthia folded her arms. "He started it..."

Lee patted her on the back. "We'll think of something..."

"We better." Cynthia said.

Sam patted her on the back. "We got an awful lot to do today..."

"Yeah, wait, I've got an idea." Lee said before he began to whisper his idea/plan to Sam and Cynthia.

Sam and Cynthia smirked and listened eagerly to what Lee had to say. They were all brilliant and intelligent children, but he had to be the smartest out of all of them. And when they heard this plan of his, this was pure genius and a way to get back at Archibald back.

Meanwhile, in a dark alley, Mr. Geller was tied to a lamp post while a figure was punching him in the stomach, and he looked badly battered. He now had a bloody nose with a black eye.

"Three days, Geller..." the figure told him. "You got three more days... Either you bring the kids, or I will..."

"Yessum..." Mr. Geller gulped, looking very badly scarred.

"Good." The figure nodded.

Mr. Geller's eyes slowly shut. "It hurts to blink..." he whimpered.

The figure laughed and ruffled up his hair. "That's a good man..."

"Just please..." Mr. Geller put his hands into a begging position. "Don't let anything bad happen to them..."

"You have my word." The figure told him while having his first two fingers of his right hand crossed while behind his back.

Mr. Geller didn't see that, but he had a weak smile before passing out.

"Take him back to his apartment." the figure demanded the other one holding him back.

"You got it, Boss." The second strong looking figure said.

"Wh-What?" Mr. Geller hiccuped before he was dragged away out of the alley. "Just don't hurt the children!"

"THREE DAYS!" the first figure reminded him with a hauntingly evil echoed laugh that could make even the bravest of mine get chills up and down their spines.


	7. Field Trip

Lee woke up suddenly from a terrible nightmare. Sam and Cynthia were away while the other boys in Lee's room were either sound asleep or outside, playing pranks.

"I've gotta warn the girls..." Lee whispered before leaving his room to find Sam and Cynthia. He, of course, would have to tip toe to the girls room.

Cynthia was staring out the window like she usually did, she put her hands under her chin and sighed a little softly. Both her and Sam then heard a knocking at the door.

"I'll get it..." Sam offered and opened the door in surprise. "Lee..."

"I have to talk to you guys..." Lee said, he saw no other girls in the room, so he quickly went in and shut the door behind him.

"Lee, what is it?" Cynthia looked back at her brother friend.

"Girls, I think Mr. Geller is in trouble and so are his children, wherever they are." Lee told them.

"Mr. Geller has kids?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but we better get our plans ready now, we'll deal with Archie later." Lee insisted.

"Oh, it's kinda scary and dangerous out there..." Cynthia was still nervous. "I know Mr. Geller's in trouble, but..."

"Please, Cynthia?" Lee begged.

Cynthia was still hesitant, but she sighed and gave in. "Oh.... All right... But remember, we can't let anyone else know."

"Right," Sam agreed. "Who knows what Aunt Mary might do if she knew what we would be up to?"

Lee nodded to them, he then gave them a hug because of his horrific nightmare. Unknown to him, his hug was a little tighter and stronger than usual. The girls noticed, but they thought it was just the stress. Soon, Lee let go and they were all on the floor now, trying to arrange their plans on seeing Mr. Geller again.

"What should be the plan?" Sam asked.

"Well, we'll look for him in the phone book or something," Lee suggested. "There's that diner that isn't too far from the orphanage and we can go through there."

"We're unaccompanied minors, would they notice?" Sam asked.

"We're orphans," Cynthia explained with a sigh. "They wouldn't notice if we had a dog eating our heads."

"She does have a point." Lee said.

"We'll go after lunch and just turn the other way into the city..." Cynthia proposed. "It's a little risky, but it's the only way."

"We'll take your word for it." Lee and Sam smiled.

"I just hope nothing bad happens..." Cynthia sighed.

They all then put their hands together like a team and the plan was set.

Soon enough, Sam had to leave to help Mary make lunch for everyone, so Cynthia and Lee sat in the living room. Cynthia was playing the piano, she wasn't that good, but she still played it, believing in herself. 

"Why do you play if you're no good?" Lee asked her.

"I feel like I'm supposed to play this..." Cynthia insisted as she hit the wrong keys, but not on purpose.

"Next thing you know she'll sing..." a girl with brunette hair in a red sailor dress scoffed.

"Hmm, maybe we should try to find the right keys." Lee suggested.

"I'm trying!" Cynthia cried, she then banged her head against the keyboard. "I fail so miserably!"

"No, it's just that you need some help." Lee said before finding a book with musical notes.

"We have books with musical notes?" Cynthia sounded surprised.

"Haven't you asked Ms. Mary?" Lee asked her as he gave her the book.

Cynthia adjusted the book, finding a simple song to start out with. "I-I'm too shy... Usually when it's a visiting day, I'm too scared to go out and meet any families... No wonder I can't get adopted."

"No, I'm sure there's another reason." Lee assured her.

"Please, who wants a kid who's afraid of everything, including her own shadow?" Cynthia hugged her knees.

"Someone who is caring kind and who would take the time to help her." Lee said.

"Like who?" Cynthia sighed.

"I don't know, but I do know is that the right adult will come and adopt you and won't care if you're scared of certain things, he or she will just love you for just being you." Lee smiled.

"I hope you're right..." Cynthia still doubted, but she liked that she still had Lee. "I hope they let us get adopted together... You're like a brother to me."

"And you're like a sister to me." Lee agreed.

The two then shared a hug with each other that was a sibling like hug and not a romantic sense. After a little while, they then separated so Cynthia could get started on following the notes. Cynthia still struggled a little, but she played a lot better now than she did before she was given the book.

"Wow, that was better." Lee smiled.

"A little..." Cynthia shrugged. "I was hoping Mr. Geller could teach me... I hear he used to play all the time."

"Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this, just you wait." Lee reassured.

Cynthia's fingers danced across the keyboard and she played a tune reminiscent of saloons in the Wild West. Then her fingers began to dance on the keyboard to play a different tune and where it was something she remembered from one of her dreams. She slowly shut her eyes as she played the tune which for some reason, changed the setting. 

The next thing Cynthia and Lee knew, they were being sent away somewhere that nearly looked like a whole other planet and in the distance, there was a castle. Lee looked around frantically while Cynthia continued to play, blissfully unaware of her new surroundings.

"C-C-Cynthia?" Lee asked.

Cynthia kept playing, but she heard her name and stopped, starting to open her eyes and then the scenery changed right back to what it once was before. "Yes, Lee?" she asked, then saw his freaked out expression. "You okay?"

"D-Didn't you see any of that scenery?" Lee asked her.

"What're you talking about?" Cynthia asked. "We're in the living room!"

"I'm telling you, I saw something!" Lee told her. 

Cynthia pressed her lips together. "Hmm..."

Sam came into the room and rang a tiny bell to alert everyone that lunch was ready.

"Okay, after lunch, we are going to play that tune again and this time, the both of us will see what I saw." Lee said.

Cynthia shrugged and went with him to the dining hall.

Luckily, since most kids were asleep, they were able to actually get decent plates of food and could make up for missing dinner last night. There were chicken nuggets with mashed potatoes, with broccoli and cheese. Cynthia and Lee kind of ate quickly, it was a force of habit, but they slowed down once they saw they had plenty to eat. Sam decided to sit with them as always.

'That scenery, why did it look so familiar and that castle, it's like I had been there before.' Lee thought to himself.

"Would you guys like some pie?" Sam offered. "Aunt Mary's making banana cream."

"Oh, I love banana cream pie!" Cynthia beamed.

"Yes, please." Lee said.

Sam smiled and she finished her lunch with them, very glad that they got to eat together since Mary decided to also bake a pie. While they ate, Lee continued to think about that scenery he saw. Cynthia and Sam talked a little, but of course, Lee did not contribute anything to the conversation. 

"Is he okay?" Sam asked.

"He said he saw something weird earlier..." Cynthia shrugged.

"Huh? Sorry, I just saw some scenery while Cynthia was playing a tune on the piano." Lee said.

"There he goes again..." Cynthia sighed.

"Wait..." Sam put her hands up. "What exactly happened?"

Lee began to tell her exactly what happened and what he saw. Sam gripped onto every word, she wondered if it were true or not, but the only person there was Cynthia and her eyes were closed the whole time.

"And I can't shake this feeling like I've been there before." Lee said.

"Okay, after we eat, we'll see what happens," Sam agreed. "But what about Mr. Geller?"

"We'll try later, we have to see about this so you know I'm not crazy!" Lee told his friends.

"Okay, okay, we'll do it just to get this whole thing over with." Cynthia said.

"Thank you!" Lee sighed in relief.

After they put their plates away, Sam and Lee stood very close to the piano like Lee told her to.

"What should I play?" Cynthia asked as she sat on the bench.

"The same tune that you played before lunch was being called out, but this time, don't close your eyes." Lee said to Cynthia.

Cynthia shrugged, she then decided to give it a try. She cracked her knuckles, turned the page to the song she played before and started to play the tune from the beginning. 

"Nothing's happening..." Sam whispered.

"Just wait." Lee told her.

While she was playing the piano, nothing was happening at first, but then the scenery changed back to what Lee saw.

"Wh-What's going on?" Sam noticed the change.

Cynthia did not see anything yet because her eyes were focused on the notes and playing the right keys. But then she did notice the scenery as soon as Lee turned her head to what they were seeing.

Cynthia looked around and saw it with her own eyes. "This looks like a space island or something..."

"Whoa..." Sam couldn't believe what she saw.

Cynthia was about to explore with them, she lifted her hands off the keyboard, and everything melted away to what it was before once again. 

"Aw, come on!" Lee groaned. 

"This isn't normal..." Cynthia held her head slightly.

"You got that right." Sam nodded.

Mary got on her coat and was on her way to the doors with a few kids and left the oldest of the kids in charge.

"Come on!" Sam told her friends. "If we miss Aunt Mary, we can't go outside for the rest of the day!"

Lee and Cynthia nodded, then ran with her, grabbing their coats too.

"Be careful, kids, it's a little stormy today." Mary told the children as she grabbed her umbrella.

"Yes, Ms. Mary." The kids replied.

Lee, Sam, and Cynthia got in line and followed the other kids outside as they followed Ms. Mary.

"Remember, when they turn left, we go right." Lee reminded his friends.

Sam and Cynthia nodded as they went to follow the others.

'This plan is fool proof.' Lee thought to himself.

The girls hoped he would be right. Mary hummed a tune to herself as she let the kids walk outside with her. The kids rarely got to go out and see the city up close due to their living conditions, so Mary always tried to do something nice for them, such as this. Usually the trips would be out to the movies or at a restaurant like they were all one big family, but a walk like this would have to do for now until the next activity. The turn was now coming up and Mary went one way with all of the other kids while Lee, Sam, and Cynthia went the other way, just as planned.

Mary and the other kids seemed to be unaware of their change in direction and went down the sidewalk that led to the local diner. It was very dark outside, even though it was only mid afternoon. Lee, Sam, and Cynthia opened the door and let the bell jingle. A couple of waitresses were in the shop, one was wiping the counter of the table where there were people sitting in and another one was pouring a cup of coffee for a man at a booth by himself.

"Alright, now all we have to do is find him and follow him." Lee whispered.

The three kids hid to a booth and took the large menus, hiding their faces, but they also kept an eye out for who they were looking for.

"Hey, kids, can I get you glasses of juice or something?" a waitress smiled to them.

"No, thank you, we're just here to try to find a man named Mr. Geller and follow him so we can make sure he's going to be safe." Lee whispered.

"Mr. Geller?" the waitress sounded alarmed at first.

The kids looked to her, wondering why she reacted that way.

"Um... Very well then..." the waitress nodded and went to another table.

"That was weird." Sam muttered.

"What if he doesn't come in today?" Cynthia groaned a little. "We might be sitting here for hours!"

But to their luck, Mr. Geller came in after they heard the door open and the bell ring. The kids then hid themselves.

Mr. Geller stumbled a little in his step and clung to the bar table.

"What'll it be?" a waitress asked him.

"Gimme a milk..." Mr. Geller mumbled miserably and slammed his money on the counter. "Chocolate."

"Yikes, the boss gave it to ya big, huh?" The waitress asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe..." Mr. Geller buried his face into his hands. "Sometimes I wish he never found me, but he found a way... And for those poor kids..."

Sam, Cynthia, and Lee glanced over to him. The waitress went to get him his chocolate milk.

Mr. Geller felt like he was being watched, he turned his head and the kids quickly pulled their menus back up to hide themselves. He got off the stool and walked over to the table like he knew they were right there. "I always feel like somebody's watching me~..." he lowly sang, both creepy and funnily, but it sounded mostly creepy due to how broken he was right now.

"What do we do?" Sam whispered.

"Easy, we hide even more." Lee whispered back.

"Yeah, but how!?" Cynthia nearly squealed in her whispering.

Mr. Geller hummed to the beat of the song he was singing as he came closer to the three orphaned children.

"I-I don't know." Lee whispered before he tried to calm down to think by singing a song he heard from a dream, quietly.

Mr. Geller snatched their menus, making them gasp in fright suddenly. "What are you kids doing here!?" he whispered sharply. "Unsupervised no less!?"

The kids blinked, unsure what to do or say to that.

"I've got to get you back to Ms. Mary's before anyone sees you..." Mr. Geller sounded urgent. 

"Who could want us?" Sam demanded. "It's time you answered our questions!"

"Children, not now..." Mr. Geller said as he frantically glanced out the window while the kids were angry with him and demanded an explanation on why he was acting so weird all of the sudden. He then began to hear someone sing a familiar song he and his wife sang to their children before 'it' happened and it was Lee who was singing it.

Sam and Cynthia looked to Lee.

Mr. Geller smiled fondly, looking relaxed, but then panicked again. "GET DOWN!"

"We're not doing what you say until--" Sam continued.

Mr. Geller then grabbed the kids and ducked down under the table with them as soon as a bullet hit the plate glass window and made it shatter into dozens of pieces instantly. The waitresses, the cook, and the customers shrieked as soon as that had happened.

"What the heck was that about!?" Lee asked. "And who was that lunatic that tried to shoot us?!"

"I'm sorry, but you kids need to get out of here..." Mr. Geller told them. 

"We can't leave now!" Cynthia protested.

"Come on!" Mr. Geller whispered loudly and snuck them out the backdoor.

"Okay, Mr. Geller, what the heck is going on, please tell us." Lee whispered.

"I wanted to wait a little longer..." Mr. Geller whispered anxiously. 

"Wait for what?" Sam asked.

"Shh!" Mr. Geller shushed them as they escaped through the back. He then put his finger to his mouth and tiptoed with them, very carefully and quietly.

"Okay, I'm guessing the one that tried to shoot us and that we're trying to get away from is the same person you were on the phone with or is someone that works for him or her." Lee whispered.

"Something like that..." Mr. Geller smiled anxiously. "Um... Field trip!" he then whispered loudly with a very nervous laugh. He then ducked low to the ground and waddled that way like in spy movies.

The kids assumed to do the same and copied his moves, trying to keep up with him. Mr. Geller then got on his feet, he then made the kids stay down as he came to a wall corner, he turned his head to look out for anyone or anything, then his tie was instantly grabbed.

"Hiya, Joey... Ya miss me?" the figure laughed wickedly. 

"You promised to back off the children!" Mr. Geller started to cry.

"Yeah, I lied," The figure smiled evilly before putting his first finger and thumb of his right hand into his mouth whistled to a muscular figure. "Bruce! Get the kids and make sure you take care of them!"

The stronger figure nodded, he then cracked his knuckles and came for the kids.

"Please.... They're just children..." Mr. Geller begged with tears in his eyes. "One of them already has a family!"

"I don't care." The figure said.

"Now come here, you little brats." Bruce said, reaching over and grabbed Cynthia and Sam.

"Let my friends go!" Lee yelled, going over to the stronger figure's right leg, kicking it.

"WHY YOU!!!" Bruce snarled. 

Cynthia, Sam, and Lee just ran after the girls were dropped down.

"Get back here!" Bruce growled to them, he limped a little, but chased them.

Mr. Geller was being taken away as the figure had unfinished business with him.

The kids ran into their foster home and shut the doors behind them, leaning on the doors, and panted.

"What're you idiots doing now?" Archibald scoffed.

"Archie, please leave us alone..." Cynthia groaned and gasped. "There's something bigger and scarier than you out there!"

"Yeah, and oh, boy, is he mad." Lee said.

"Yeah, right." Archibald said in disbelief.

But then there was a loud knocking at the door.

"Let me in or else I'll let myself in!" Bruce yelled from the other side of the doors.

Cynthia, Lee, and Sam panicked, then ran off again.

"GET BACK HERE, YOU MONKEYS!" Archibald demanded.

The doors were kicked down, making Archibald frightened and he stepped back.

"Tubby, you see three kids?" Bruce demanded. "Two girls and a boy?"

But Archibald just wet himself and cried.

"Never mind, I'll find them myself!" Bruce yelled, shoving him out of the way.

"We gotta get out of here!" Sam cried as she shut the door to their usual hangout. 

"Yeah, but how!?" Cynthia pulled on her hair and fiddled with her glasses, very anxious right now.

"I-I don't know!" Sam cried.

"This is bad, this is very bad, we should've gone with Aunt Mary!" Sam cried frantically.

Cynthia held onto Mr. Geller's bag for protection, she had brought it with her. The bag then started to glow and shake a little, making her drop it flat on the floor.

"What was that?" Lee wondered.

"I-I don't know, it just startled me..." Cynthia whimpered.

Lee opened the bag, he could see something in it, he then started to crawl in through it to see what he saw, but then his yell was heard and it sounded like he was falling.

Lee!" Sam and Cynthia gasped.

Bruce banged on the door, frightening the girls. They weren't sure what else to do, but they went into the bag as well and they started to scream too. The bag then stopped glowing and appeared to be a normal bag that was just lying there and had nothing inside of it.

When Bruce finally got inside the room, he didn't see any of them, only Mr. Geller's bag. He picked it up and didn't see what the kids saw in it and it just looked like a normal bag to him. "Dammit..." he growled, unable to find the kids, he then looked all around before giving it quits.


	8. Whole New World

"What do you mean they got away!?" the figure growled once he was on his phone and Mr. Geller was nearly knocked out cold on the ground next to him. "They couldn't just escape like that!"

"They found a way," Bruce shrugged. "I looked in every other room in this dump and found no one!"

"I can't believe this!" The figure groaned, but then had an idea of who would know where the kids were. "I gotta go keep looking for them!" He then hangs up before looking down at Mr. Geller.

Mr. Geller groaned and his eyes slowly opened. "Ugh..."

"Alright, where did those brats disappear to?" The figure asked.

"How should I know?" Mr. Geller attempted to crack a smile. "You took me from them..." he then chuckled softly before wincing in total pain.

"Bruce said he can't find them, the only thing he found was your bag." The figure told him.

"Mm-mm..." Mr. Geller shrugged.

The figure picked him up by his tie again. "SPILL!"

"I'm almost certain I have no idea what you're talking about..." Mr. Geller's voice struggled.

"It has something to do with that bag of yours, doesn't it?" The figure glared.

"I-I don't kn-" Mr. Geller cried, but the hold tightened, nearly making him run out of oxygen. "All right... ALL RIGHT!" he hacked, nearly wheezing for air now. "I-I'll tell you everything..." he whispered, sounding near death now.

"Good." The figure said before letting him breathe.

Mr. Geller shut his eyes, letting out some tears. "It's a very special bag... No mere mortal can get in, they need special access to be granted to them... Only the master and the heirs can get through with an heir or the master or else it'll be a normal bag to a mortal... It was a gift from their ancestors!"

"How do we get to where the bag sent them?" The figure asked.

"You need their guardian to go after them now..." Mr. Geller bit his lip.

The figure darkly chuckled to him, then took his phone out again, dialing the number. "Bruce, go back in the orphanage and get that bag... I have a little trip to go over with Mr. Geller here..."

'You got it, Boss...' Bruce agreed on the other end.

Mr. Geller put his hands to his eyes and cried again.

Lee, Cynthia, and Sam were all still screaming until they all landed somewhere.

"Ow..." Sam grunted once she landed.

"Where are we?" Cynthia rubbed her eyes after she took off her glasses to clean them.

"I have no idea." Lee said.

They were in the land that looked like the land from where Cynthia played piano. They looked all around and stood up from their spots and walked around.

"This can't be real..." Sam whispered before suddenly shouting. "No! Somebody's pullin' our leg!"

"Let's pinch ourselves." Lee said.

"Ow..." Cynthia winced.

The three decided to pinch each other to make it more convincing, when they all did, they all yelled out in pain. That was always something to do to see if one was dreaming or not and since the pinches hurt, they were not dreaming. This place could not be real life and yet they were around it.

"I guess we better explore..." Sam shrugged.

Lee shrugged and followed her once they saw the distant white castle.

"Um, guys, I dunno..." Cynthia grew cowardly again.

"Come on, Cynthia, don't you wanna see the rest of this world?" Lee asked.

"Well... Yeah... But..." Cynthia stared at the ground.

"Come on, maybe someone can help us help Mr. Geller..." Sam pulled on her arm encouragingly.

Lee helped push Cynthia as they were unknowingly going down the walkway to the castle.

"We'll all be together the whole way." Lee smiled.

Cynthia looked around as she walked with Sam and Lee. "This place looks like it's from a science fiction movie or something."

"Yeah and yet it also feels so familiar," Lee said before starting to smell something delicious. "Mm."

Sam sniffed the air too. "Oh, what is that delicious aroma...?"

"Whatever it is, I hope we can have some..." Cynthia chuckled hungrily.

There was a woman with shortish blonde hair that was in a silver gown with long sleeves, she wore a loose necklace that had a sparkling trinket at the end of it and she wore white boots. She appeared to have blue violet, almost indigo eyes like Cynthia did. She was kneeling in a garden that seemed to have very exotic and unique looking plants and flowers that the kids had never seen before in their lives.

"Do you think she'll let us have some of her food?" Sam whispered.

"Only one way to find out..." Cynthia whispered back.

The woman sighed a little, she picked one of the flowers and lightly sniffed it. "Not even a Jovian Tulip Daisy can freshen me on a day like today..."

"Um, excuse me, ma'am." Lee spoke up.

The woman looked over to them.

"Um, we hate to bother you, but..." Lee spoke up nervously. "We smelled something cooking... Could we maybe join you?"

"Three unattended children?" the woman asked, she then stood up over them. "But where are your parents?"

Cynthia sadly sighed. "We're orphans..."

"Well, I'm not really, but I'm a friend of theirs." Sam explained her situation.

"Well, I guess you three could come inside and join me." The woman smiled.

The kids smiled, this woman was nice. The woman carried her skirts and then led them into her home which was the castle.

"Um, ma'am, are you the queen of this castle?" Lee asked curious.

"You could say that..." the woman smiled to him as they got to the front doors and she shooed the guards away, making them nod, and step aside to let her and the kids pass through. "I was a lonely little rich girl growing up... Don't get me wrong, I've found love, but still... Nothing beats the warm love that only a child that can be the greatest gift that any adult could be given."

"So, you had kids then?" Cynthia asked.

"I'm afraid that's personal, dear..." the woman said as she sat down in a chair across from them and had them sit in a fluffy white couch.

Cynthia and Lee looked around, they felt like they knew this place while Sam looked accepting of the new surroundings. A cook walked by, wiping his hands with a red cloth.

"How much longer?" the woman asked gently and quietly.

"Another ten minutes, ma'am, I apologize..." the cook sounded nervous, worrying she might be angry about the meal not being ready when she had asked.

"Don't worry yourself..." the woman cooed. "Take as long as you need, my dear."

"As you wish," The cook bowed to her before looking to see Cynthia, Lee, and Sam. "It should seem you have brought guests, Your Majesty."

"Yes, these three are my special guests... I'm sorry, what are your names?" the woman asked.

The three kids gave their names, and of course, Sam said her nickname. The cook nodded and went back to the kitchen.

"It's nice to meet you three..." the woman smiled. "Did a man happen to come with you?"

"No, ma'am, he was caught by someone before he could join us and we were lucky to get away from that big guy that was trying to get rid of us." Lee told her.

"Oh, you poor dears..." the woman put her hand to her mouth.

"Yeah, we don't know why that guy was chasing us..." Sam frowned. "Mr. Geller was getting hurt though!"

"Mr. Geller?" the woman asked.

"The man we know," Lee explained. "He was being a tutor for us... He got hurt real bad."

"Do you know him?" Cynthia asked.

The woman looked like she wanted to answer, but every time she opened her mouth, no words would come out.

"You can tell us if you want, we won't tell anyone." Lee said.

"Ummm..." the woman still hesitated. "Well... You see... He... He's not actually human..."

The kids looked to her, very curious by that confession.

"He also happens to be my husband." the woman then continued quickly.

"Okay, ma'am, who are you, where are we, and how did Mr. Geller's bag get us from the orphanage or even Earth to here?" Lee asked.

"This is very long and overwhelming, I understand, we'll discuss it over dinner, you poor dears looked starved." the woman cooed.

"We sure are, we haven't eaten since lunch." Cynthia said.

"You poor things..." the woman patted them each on their heads.

"Thank you, Miss..." Sam drawled out.

"Mendella." the woman gave her name.

"Thank you, Miss Mendella." Sam smiled.

"Miss Mendella, even though we have just met you, you look familiar." Lee said.

"Yeah..." Cynthia agreed.

"Interesting..." Mendella smiled softly, but said nothing more to that.

After a while, the food was finally ready. The cook struck a gong.

"Ah, dinner..." Mendella was unfazed by it, but it did startle the children a little. "Come with me, dears."

"Yes, ma'am." The kids said.

Mendella led them to the grand dining room which had several portraits of the woman with a familiar looking man, but he had eyes that looked as green as the emeralds in the Wizard of Oz and he wore fancy Renaissance clothes. There was a glittering silver chandelier above their heads with gently lit flames that appeared to be pink in hue. The table was very nice and long, Mendella sat at the head and she allowed the kids to sit across from each other. There were various cooks who entered the room and placed silver canisters of food in front of the four of them.

"What's cooking?" Cynthia asked.

"What are some foods you all like?" Mendella asked then, not directly answering her question. "What are your favorite foods?"

"My favorite are steak and broccoli." Lee answered.

"I wouldn't mind some baked ham with scalloped potatoes." Cynthia input.

Cynthia shrugged. "Maybe some smoked salmon with mashed potatoes."

"Well, let's hope you get what you like," Mendella giggled a little. "Now, let's eat..."

The kids lifted their canisters and to their surprise, their plates were exactly what they said they liked to eat.

"Are these canisters magic?" Lee asked.

"Only to those who acquire the abilities and are among those who do..." Mendella informed with a sweet smile. She then lifted her canister only to have sausage with diced potatoes, and boiled cabbage.

The kids wanted to know more, but the water made their mouths water and briefly forget what was happening, so they got their utensils and started to eat. Mendella smiled to them and she started to eat with them. During the whole entire dinner, it went great. Sam looked around and noticed that there were only portraits of Mendella with her familiar looking husband and the royals before. She was very curious and this woman allowed three complete strangers into her home, she wondered why that could be other than generosity.

"I didn't picture you to be a dress type." Mendella said to Sam.

"My aunt made me wear it..." Sam frowned. "She's always trying to make me into a proper young lady so I can be invited by counts, dukes, and aristocrats to high-class society parties."

"Yeah, Sam is more like a tomboy girl than a fancy dress girl." Cynthia and Lee said.

"Oh, I can understand that..." Mendella chuckled. "Well, Sam, you should know, even if you aren't into dresses, you are welcome in my home, but I do expect you to look your best if you get invited to a grand party."

"That I can sorta live with." Sam agreed.

Mendella smiled as she continued to eat with them. The kids still had dozens of questions, they tried to contain themselves so they wouldn't seem rude for Miss Mendella, she seemed like a woman who could rarely get angry though, but they still decided not to speak unless spoken to. It would be good courtesy, especially since they were in a castle and she appeared to be royal. The dinner was going just smoothly though. And then where Lee had actually accidentally broke his plate by cutting too deep into his steak.

"Huh? You kids never told me that one of you had super strength too." Mendella said.

"Oh, um... Heh... Well..." Lee wasn't sure how to explain that.

"Here, let me get that for you..." Mendella said as a woman came to sweep up the mess in a dustpan and walked off into the backyard. "Thank you, Rosette."

The woman, Rosette, nodded and carried onto the backyard.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Mendella!" Lee cried. "Don't be mad!"

"I'm not, thank you for doing that." Mendella said with a small smile, surprisingly enough.

"I-I don't know what happened, that's never happened before." Lee explained.

"Don't fret, my dear, it's perfectly normal..." Mendella soothed.

The kids now wondered why Mendella wasn't even distraught over her shattered cutlery. If they did that in front of Ms. Mary, she would punish them by not letting them have dessert for a week or something even worse.

Meanwhile...

The figure and Bruce looked through the bag, not finding anything in it that looked like it could transport to other worlds.

"Geller, what's the deal!?" the figure demanded.

Mr. Geller firmly frowned and shrugged his shoulders.

"Tell the boss now!" Bruce glared, grabbing Mr. Geller's shirt collar.

"Gaaaugh, okay, now, now, no need to be so rash..." Mr. Geller chuckled nervously, he really hated that he got himself into this mess, but it was his dumb luck and abilities that tormented and pleasured him all at once. "J-J-Just give me the bag..."

Bruce shoved the bag against him which caused even more pain.

"Mmf..." Mr. Geller squeezed his eyes shut as tears leaked down his face and he bit his lip. 'What did I ever do to deserve this?' he thought to himself through whimpers, he then stroked his hand around the bag and opened it up to show it was glowing now with an ominous choir, he then got on his hands and knees and crawled toward the bag, opening it up.

"Bring the children back with you or we'll make you..." the figure demanded.

Mr. Geller gulped, he then opened the bag more and crawled through it, letting out a majestic noise and he fell through it.

"Wait, Boss, if he goes in there, doesn't that mean that both he and those brats are safe from us?" Bruce asked.

This made the figure to go wide-eyed and face palms to his own stupidity and not to Bruce.

"What do we do now?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, he'll come back..." the boss made sure of it.

The two then walked down the street, pondering what to do, they then saw Mr. Geller's apartment building and they broke into his room.

There was a white cat who was on the couch, wearing a glossy purple bow around her neck. She turned her head. "Is that you, Gall-" she seemed to speak, then gasped as she saw the two men and let out meows and mews, not speaking then.

"A cat?" Bruce groaned. "The only thing he has here is a cat?!"

Pandora pounced off the couch and stood protectively in front of a closed door.

"You're just makin' this too easy, Pussycat..." the boss chuckled darkly, then kicked her out of the way and opened the door.

Both bad guys saw a room that appeared to be a normal bedroom. Just a normal bed with a vanity table with a mirror and a bathroom door that was shut as well. There had to be something up in this joint, how could a man with a magic bag have such a simple and normal apartment with a 'stupid cat'. Pandora rushed to the phone however and dialed 9-1-1 somehow.

'9-1-1, what's your emergency?' the phone asked.

"Please help!" Pandora cried out. "There are bad men in Leisure Towers!"

'We'll be right over, Miss.' The phone answered.

"Thank you very much..." Pandora replied, she had a secret, and she was much more than a simple talking cat. "The room is 4311, please do hurry!"

Luckily she was able to get a call through without any of those bad guys interrupting her.

Pandora then anxiously looked to her human's bedroom and leaped down, rushing to the door. "Oh, they better not touch anything in there!" she whimpered as she strode over to the door.

"What's so important about this room?" Bruce asked.

"I dunno, but based on the way that cat acted, there's gotta be somethin'..." the boss said and flipped on the light switch. "We better explore."

Pandora lunged from on top of the door and pounced on the two bad guys, scratching at them violently.

"This cat is getting on my nerves." Bruce said.

The boss grabbed Pandora and flung her off, making her hit the wall. Pandora grunted, she then let her eyes slowly close as she was too hurt to continue on.

"Hey, boss, what's this button do?" Bruce saw a blinking red button on the vanity table. "It's pretty..."

The boss rolled his eyes. "You are such a kid sometimes, it ain't even funny..."

Bruce pushed the button anyway which made the room go dark for a moment, but then there was a glimmering green light from the mirror.

'Welcome back...' a computerized voice greeted. 'Where would you like to go?'

"What the heck?!" Bruce asked.

"You use your brain for once..." the boss whispered, a little shocked and amazed.

Both of them came up to the mirror, but then they flinched once they heard police sirens out the window.

"We wish to go to where Joe Geller and those three brats are right now." Bruce told the mirror.

'Processing...' the mirror said.

"Oh, no..." Pandora moaned.

Cops were rushing up to Mr. Geller's room and came with their firearms to take down the bad guys.

But by the time they came into the room, Bruce, and the boss, and Pandora were gone.

"Where'd they go?" one cop demanded.

Mr. Geller was nearly falling himself, he reached into his pocket and took out an egg shaped sphere, he bit onto the end of it and threw it down to the ground and made an arm chair appear and he landed safely into it instead of having a rough landing once he ended up in the mystical and futuristic world. "Made it." he smiled.

He then looked to the white castle, he pulled a cushion off the arm chair, unzipped it, and took out what looked like a silver, metal hula hoop, he then held it above his head and let it drop on him, instantly changing his appearance, but not too much, mostly his clothes. He now wore midnight blue robes, wore white boots, had black gloves, and he made the chair disappear and he ran off to the white castle. The guards didn't even provoke him, they just let him pass through the front door, almost as he lived there.

"Lady Mendella will be pleased..." one guard said to the other.

The other guard then nodded.


	9. The Moment of Truth

After dinner, Mendella took the kids into her backyard which had the exotic and extraterrestrial plant life.

"Wow, these plants look so exotic and extraterrestrial." Lee smiled.

"Yeah, I can't say I've seen anything like them..." Sam agreed.

"That's because they are..." Mendella said to them. "We're not exactly on the planet you call Earth anymore..."

The kids gaped at her, suddenly worried. Were they in outer space now?

Mendella giggled, knowing exactly what they were thinking. "Don't worry, the oxygen levels are just like Earth and yes, we're in outer space, but not only that, in a different dimension."

"Oh, man, my aunt is going to be so worried when she notices we're missing." Sam said.

"That is a pickle..." Mendella put her hand to her cheek. 

"Miss Mendella, do you know anything about our parents?" Cynthia wondered. "You seem to know so much, and this place... It looks so familiar..."

"Yeah, it feels like it is to me too." Lee agreed.

"Well, there's a reason for that, I have to tell you a story..." Mendella sighed. "It's a very sad and true story."

"You can tell us if you want," Lee said. "We won't pressure you."

"You deserve a right to know anyway..." Mendella told them, she then came closer to them and knelt between them. "Children... This land was at war... A very, very painful and brutal war. It seemed to last forever and it will continue until the heirs have returned, and since they have, it will stop."

"What does that have to do with us?" Sam wondered.

"Well, during the first outbreak of this war, I was pregnant with my children," Mendella explained. "I was in my final month and my lover sacrificed himself for the sake of me. He luckily did not die, but we both knew our children couldn't live in this wonderful and tranquil land, even with loving and supporting parents like us. We felt like we had no choice though, but as soon as our children were born, we gave them up. We found an ancient and primitive land that none of our people would be able to trace or find and attack them, your planet Earth..."

"Okay? Why do I get the feeling we're about to be included in this story?" Lee asked.

"Because you are those very children," Mendella told her. "Except of course for you, Sam."

Sam didn't show annoyance of being excluded since she had the same feeling that Lee and Cynthia had.

"You mean..." Cynthia whispered.

"Yes..." Mendella gave a small nod. "I'm your mother."

"So no wonder this place seems so familiar." Lee smiled.

"Yes..." Mendella smiled. "I was hoping you'd recognize this place."

"Those dreams did mean something..." Cynthia realized.

"So, why am I here?" Sam looked around, curiously and anxiously.

"I was wondering that too." Cynthia said.

"You seem close with Lee..." Mendella had a smirk.

Sam blushed a little. "Well... Maybe... Yeah, don't get me wrong, he's a cool guy... Especially with how he treats Cynthia like his..." she paused before whispering her next word. "...Sister..."

"Yes, they are brother and sister, but for you, well, you and him seem to be really close as if you two were destined to be together." Mendella said.

Lee and Sam hid a blush together at that with sheepish chuckles.

"You were also able to gain access by this world because you entered the bag with either Cynthia or Lee," Mendella continued. "If you're a mere mortal of the planet Earth, you would not had been able to make it... Only we can go through on our own."

"Ah..." Sam nodded, that made sense.

"There are other ways, but that's our best way." Mendella informed.

"Mother..." Cynthia spoke up, trying to get used to the word since she found out who this woman was to her and Lee. "Forgive me, but... Who is our father?"

Before Mendella could answer, she looked over her shoulder and saw someone familiar coming. "Ah, here he comes now."

"I think I know who it might be." Lee said.

Mr. Geller appeared and came to Mendella's side, Sam was purely shocked. "Hey, sweetie..." he cooed, rubbing his forehead against hers and there was a small electric spark that came between their heads.

"Children, this is your father," Mendella introduced. "Galavan." 

Mr. Geller's eyes widened once he saw the three orphans he tutored back in the orphanage.

"I had a feeling he was our father." Lee smiled.

Mr. Geller gripped his collar nervously and cleared his throat. "H-Hey, kids..." he smiled nervously. 

Cynthia and Lee instantly hugged him. Mr. Geller was unable to resist, so he put his arms around them, comfortably holding them.

"Galavan, you look horrible..." Mendella cooed. "What's happened on Earth?"

"Enrico was able to track down the kids," Mr. Geller told his lover. "After I found them, somehow he found a way to find them too and he threatened their lives, I had three days to turn them in, but then he changed his mind and got Bruce to beat the tar out of me!"

"What?! That's terrible! Isn't there something we can do?" Lee asked.

"I'm afraid we only have one option..." Mendella frowned. "Our army is weakening, they all went South after we were forced to give you kids up..."

"You have to surrender your powers, the kingdom inheritance, and have your memories erased after today...." Galavan added gravely. 

"Surely there's another way!" Cynthia begged.

"I'm sorry, but that's our only option, we gave you up for a reason..." Galavan sounded like he was about to cry.

"But there's gotta be someway, isn't there like a super powerful being that could help us?" Lee asked.

That reminded Mendella and Galavan of something.

"Well, there is someone..." Galavan shut his eyes. "She's back at my apartment though."

"Who?" the three kids asked.

Galavan gulped a little. "My sister."

Then out of nowhere, Pandora landed on top of Lee's head.

"Cat on my head!" Lee panicked slightly. "Cat on my head!"

Galavan removed Pandora and held her securely in his arms. "Oh, Dora... You look bruised..."

"Enrico and Bruce got me," the cat replied. "I'm afraid they're on their way."

Lee, Sam, and Cynthia gaped slightly.

"Don't worry..." Galavan cooed. "I'll fix that right up in a--" he then saw the kids were staring oddly. "What's wrong, you never see a talking cat before?"

The kids shook their heads.

"Oh, that's right, on Earth, animals don't talk or use magic." Galavan remembered.

"Wait, so animals can talk and do magic here?" Sam asked.

"Yes, in fact, this is no ordinary cat..." Galavan said, dropping Pandora on the ground gently.

The white cat then did a stretch and transformed into a woman with snow white hair with teal-colored eyes, and had a glossy purple gown with black boots and white gloves. "Who has a huggy and a kissy for Aunty Pandora?" she then held out her arms to the kids with an eager grin.

"A-Aunt Pandora?" Lee asked, having a flash back.

Pandora smiled and hugged Lee and Cynthia instantly, giving them sloppy and wet kisses on their foreheads. Cynthia started to have a flashback herself. They both saw a familiar room with lots of animals and people there.

"Dora," Galavan's voice said. "Come meet your niece and nephew!"

Pandora stood up from her spot, the animals watched her go and she walked over to where Lee and Cynthia were looking and they were suddenly lifted and held in her arms. "Oh, hello there, little count and countess..." she cooed. "You are just so adorable, I could eat you up! In fact, I think I will! Come here, you two!" she then kissed the twins and pretended to eat them.

This caused for Lee and Cynthia to giggle from this.

"Oh, they're so darling, Galavan." Pandora said to her brother. 

"I know..." Galavan sighed, but still kept his smile. "I hate that they had to be born during this madness..."

"When are you sending them off then?" Pandora asked in a soft, gentle tone of voice.

"We'll send them off as soon as we can." Galavon said.

The flashback ends there.

 

Cynthia and Lee shut their eyes and shook their heads from their visions.

"I didn't want my brother to be alone, so I offered to come with him," Pandora decided to explain. "There was a price though... I didn't want to cause too much trouble since your father knows more about the mortal Earth than I do, so I used my animal shape shifting abilities and I turned myself into a cat."

"We understand." Lee said.

"I'm sorry I had to keep it a secret," Galavan told the kids. "I really wanted to tell you..."

"Um, by the way, I've been playing piano," Cynthia spoke up. "When I play certain keys, I got to come here, but only when I'd be on piano..."

Mendella giggled. "I was hoping you'd ask us about that... Cynthia, you have special abilities, if you play a certain song, you'll get sent to a different place as long as we're all together."

"Really?" Cynthia asked.

"Oh, yes, we should show her..." Pandora encouraged.

"Indeed, we should." Galavon smiled.

"Show me what?" Cynthia asked.

Mendella, Galavan, and Pandora took the kids' hands gently and took them into the castle to the grand music room.


	10. Home Sweet Home

There was a grand piano on a stage with thousands of theater seats down below and there was even a balcony. It looked like an opera house.

Galavan found a music book and cracked it open, sitting next to Cynthia on the bench. "Is there anywhere you ever wanted to go?"

Cynthia merely shrugged, unable to think of anything.

"What about you?" Galavan asked Sam and Lee. "The American revolution? The 1980's? The Wild West?"

"Well, there is one place I always wanted to go to," Lee said. "It's called the 'Magical Forest."

"Cynthia, play this song." Galavan requested, turning the page in the music book.

Cynthia nodded, she cracked her knuckles, and played a very peaceful and gentle tune on the piano, allowing her fingers to dance across the keyboard like it were an orchestra conducting a sonata for the first day of Spring in a peaceful meadow.

"Now, all we do is wait while Cynthia plays the song." Lee said with a knowing smile.

"Correct." Galvan smiled back, it was then realized how eerily similar they looked when they were excited.

Cynthia kept playing the song until the scenery was slowly changing into the magical forest.

"Wow." Lee smiled.

Cynthia kept playing the song and when she got to finish it, she looked all around and took her hands off the keyboard.

Instead of dissolving back to the music room they were in, the scenery stayed, simply because Cynthia finished the song with no distractions or hecklers.

"Welcome to the Magical Forest," Galavan told his son. "Where every animal is your friend, all of the food is organic, and you never have to have any fret or worry."

The three kids walked from the piano and looked all around. There was a red violet sky with a glowing white moon with only a few clouds in the sky. There were giant trees that had enormous fruits that the kids had not ever seen before. The animals that roamed the forest were enjoying each other's company and looked over, coming to the kids. There was a white tiger with purple stripes and green eyes that came specifically for Pandora and he had a cub with him.

"Aw! Who's this little one?" Sam asked, bending down to the cub.

The tiger smiled proudly and looked down to his pride and joy. "This is my little princess," he introduced. "Giselle."

"Hi, Giselle!" Sam smiled to the cub.

The female cub gave a small nod, but she looked painfully shy and hid behind her father's back foreleg.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," the tiger soothed. "She's a little shy around new creatures."

"She's never seen a person before?" Sam asked.

"She's just shy whenever she meets someone she doesn't recognize." the tiger told her.

"Oh..." Sam slowly nodded.

"I know how you feel..." Cynthia could relate to the cub. 

Galavan wrapped his arms around Cynthia's neck, planting a kiss on her cheek. "I'm so sorry I had to keep you all from this."

"We understand, kids being in a place they were raised in while a war was going on wouldn't be a safe idea." Lee said.

"It was our only option," Mendella said softly as she wrapped her arm around her injured husband. "Oh, my poor dear sweet Galavan..."

"I feel awkward now..." Cynthia spoke up.

"Why do you say that, dear?" Pandora asked.

"Well, um... Dad..." Cynthia looked to her biological father. "I-I kinda had a crush on you..."

"WE KNEW IT!" Sam and Lee cheered in victory.

"Oh, my." Pandora said, now finding that awkward for her brother.

"Yeah..." Cynthia stared at the ground and shuffled her foot.

Galavan merely chuckled. "That's okay, dear... You didn't know."

"Your father is a very handsome man..." Mendella smiled, then puckered her lips to her husband. "I knew it from the moment I laid eyes on him."

"And I knew you were as tender as an Oozing Uranium Blossom..." Galavan cooed back, licking his lips and the two shared a passionate kiss with each other.

"We finally know what it's like to be embarrassed by our parents!" Cynthia called out with a half smile, unsure how to feel about their long-lost parents making out right in front of them.

"Wait, I just got an idea." Lee said.

"We're saved!" Sam cheered.

Galavan and Mendella then looked to their long-lost son, anxious to what he had to say.

"What is it, Lee?" Cynthia asked.

"Why not all of us including, every magical creature, and use all of our magic together against the enemy!" Lee suggested.

"That could weaken you..." Mendella told him. "Yes, you can combine your powers, but there's only a 50% chance you'll be able to make it."

"Why not try the other 50?" Lee shrugged. "It's worth a shot."

"I better start helping you right away then..." Pandora soothed. "I know I don't look it much, but I'm a grand warrior."

"We'll need all the help we can get." Lee said.

"Sorry I can't help much..." Sam sighed.

"You can give them support..." Mendella offered. "Now, I've got to get you out of that dress..." she then took out the silver hoop and dropped it over Sam.

Sam was then right out of the dress and now in a sports jersey with a pair of shorts and sneakers. "Wow!" she was very impressed and comfortable now. "How did you do that!?"

"One of the best inventions," Galavan showed her the hoop. "Just hold it over your head, think about what you like to wear for the day, and let it drop."

"Wow, this is so amazing!" Sam cheered.

"Welcome to the future..." Galavan chuckled. 

Pandora took the hoop and then changed into a black and gold warrior uniform with a helmet and looked very serious this time. "Come on, kids, time for Aunt Dora to show you how to kick some bad guy butt!"

"Yeah!" Lee and Cynthia cheered.

"But, can we first have a change of clothes?" Lee asked.

"Oh, yes, sure..." Pandora nodded, she then gave the hoop over to her niece and nephew.

Galavan and Mendella smiled fondly as they held each other.

"Wanna have a little celebration our kids are back?" Mendella smirked.

"Mendy, you cheeky vixen..." Galavan smirked back to her, making her blush. "Surely you can wait..."

Mendella giggled and shook her head.

Galavan looked to the kids and his sister. "Excuse us..." he then threw Mendella over his shoulder and ran off eagerly with her.

"Alright, Sis, you go first." Lee smiled.

Cynthia beamed, she walked over to their aunt's side, she then took a deep breath and let the hoop slide drop around her body. She was now wearing a black ninja like uniform that had an upside down purple heart on it with dark purple slippers, she had white gloves, and she had a tied mask over her eyes, but she could still see and her hair was in a higher ponytail.

"Wow, Cynthia, you look amazing." Lee smiled.

Cynthia smiled bashfully. "I feel like a superhero."

"Okay, Lee, your turn." Pandora told the boy.

Lee nodded, took the hoop, and dropped it around his body to also change his outfit into something more fight worthy. And where it was a red superhero suit with blue boots and a blue cape. Pandora smiled to them and took them back to the piano. 

Sam really liked Giselle, but she waved to the wild cat cub and joined her friends. Galavan and Mendella were waiting anxiously for the others to come back so they could go back home and 'celebrate' their childrens' return. And when their children did come back with Pandora and Sam, they smiled at Lee's and Cynthia's choices of their clothes.

"Look at that!" Galavan gasped in delight. "I almost didn't recognize you two! You look like you came from another galaxy!"

"They did come from another galaxy." Pandora chuckled to her brother.

"All across the universe from the stars and space!" Galavan expanded his arms, sounding like a sci fi geek at a convention. "Leaping Lizards!"

"Leaping lizards?" Sam asked.

"Hey, when I was a kid, everybody said that..." Galavan folded his arms.

"Was that before or after the dinosaurs were killed." Pandora teased her brother, making the kids laugh then.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Galavan groaned.

"Cynthia, could you play us a little song?" Mendella prompted.

Cynthia knew what to play and did as her biological mother said and played the tune to take them back to the castle. "Um... Does this song mean anything?" she asked, curiously. "I mean, it's beautiful, but does it really mean anything to our family?"

"Yes..." Galavan said softly. 

"It's our song..." Mendella added, referring to her and her lover. "It was playing the day we first met and danced together at a debutante ball."

"Aw!" Sam awed.

Mendella and Galavan smiled proudly to each other, soon they were back in the ballroom. 

"Excuse us, we'll do some family bonding later." Galavan promised, carrying Mendella bridal style.

"Right now we need to.... Celebrate." Mendella told their children.

"Dora, you're in charge." Galavan told his sister before running off with his lover to their bedroom.

"They're going to make love, aren't they?" Lee asked with a knowing look.

Pandora gaped at him. "LEE!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sam added.

"SAM!" Pandora looked to her then.

"Hey, we're growing up, we had to find out sooner or later." Cynthia commented.

Pandora put her palm over her eyes. "Children these days..."

"So what should we do now?" Lee asked.

"Follow me..." Pandora led them out of the music room, taking them to the gym training room.

"Awesome." Lee said, loving the room already.

Pandora smiled and allowed the kids to explore before she let them know her teaching first. There were weapons everywhere, including some photographs that were framed on the wall, including a couple of younger, though familiar faces.

"Aunt Pandora, are these pictures of you and Mom and Dad?" Cynthia asked.

"Why, yes, yes, they are..." Pandora smiled fondly.

"Cool!" The kids cheered.

Lee then looked and saw a lot of weights. Pandora smiled as she took one photograph of her with Galavan, both wore their best clothes, a suit and a dress, and they were given gold medals. She then clicked against the frame and replayed the memory.

Galavan and Pandora smiled proudly as they were awarded honorable medals and were put on around their necks.

"Not bad for a little squirt." Galavan teased.

"Not bad for a big butt!" Pandora retorted.

Galavan then put Pandora in a headlock and gave her a noogie with a teasing laugh.

"Oh, come on, Galavan, quit it!" Pandora laughed.

"Nope!" Galavan argued, still mocking his younger sister, though playfully.

 

Adult Pandora laughed with the picture as it was slowly fading back into a simple still image.

"Um, so should we start, ma'am?" Sam asked.

"I'm sorry..." Pandora said as she set the picture back on the wall, then walked over to her niece, nephew, and their friend. "Let's get started."

Cynthia, Lee, and Sam smiled eagerly, ready and anxious to work with this woman.

"So, what are we going to start with first?" Lee smiled.

"First, I'd like to see how strong you are," Pandora said as she then went over to a button on the wall and pushed it. "Remember, I love you..."

Suddenly, there came a car from the ceiling that was about to come crashing down on Cynthia and Lee. Cynthia instantly flinched like a coward, knowing she wouldn't be able to lift the vehicle. Lee simply held his hands above his head, hoping that he'd be able to catch it and hold it up in the air. Cynthia still crouched, but Lee was able to catch the car in his hands.

"I-I'm super strong." Lee smiled.

"Probably get that from me..." Pandora chuckled. "You okay, Cynthia?"

Cynthia frowned, she felt like she wasn't special, so she shrugged her shoulders.

"Cynthia, I'm sure there's something that you can do." Lee said.

"Besides play piano and act in theater?" Cynthia huffed at herself.

"Pandora, is there anyway we can find out something else Cynthia might have as a talent or special skill that will help?" Sam asked.

"Hmm..." Pandora tried to think. She then took out a strange flute like instrument that was blue and red and she blew into it to make a strange noise fill the air.

A servant came to the white-haired woman's side.

"Could you bring the Thinking Cap for my niece, please?" Pandora whispered to the servant. "Thanks!"

The servant nodded and rushed off.

"A thinking cap?" Sam asked.

"It's a special device that helps you think about what you mostly desire if you are unsure," Pandora explained. "Your father made it when OUR father was struggling with what he wanted in life."

"That's so cool." Lee smiled.

"Oh, yes, you children are fortunate to have him as a father..." Pandora sighed, very proud of her big brother's accomplishments.

A servant came back with the cap and put it on Cynthia's head.

"Um, thank you..." Cynthia told the servant.

The servant nodded and bowed, slowly stepping backward. The cap was now scanning Cynthia's head and beeped a little as it started to work up.

"Ooh, it's starting to work up." Lee smiled.

"Now, now, let her concentrate..." Pandora cooed.

Cynthia felt uncomfortable at first, but once she thought about what she most desired, the machined hat allowed her to relax.

Within moments, there was the ring of a bell like an elevator and a ream of paper came out from the cap.

Pandora took the paper and put on a pair of reading glasses. "Let's see..." she clicked her tongue as she looked at the possible options given to her niece. "It says here you can't decide whether you'd like to be an author or theater actress."

"Yes..." Cynthia confirmed, she was gifted in both talents she had.

"Well, now what should we do?" Sam asked.

"I must test Cynthia's strengths now..." Pandora told them. "Cynthia, what are you good at?"

Cynthia shrugged. "I just write, play piano, and act... What's special about those?"

"Ah, but do you have a good imagination like your father?" Pandora prompted. 

Cynthia shrugged.

"Take this bag..." Pandora handed a plain black bag. "It's one your father made... If you have a big imagination like him, whatever you wish for or want will be in that bag for you to wield."

Cynthia looked doubtful, so she said nothing and just shook her head and gave the bag back to her aunt.

"You'll never know until you try it." Pandora said, giving the bag back to her niece.

Cynthia frowned, doubting herself, and shook her head.

"Come on, Cyn, try it..." Sam encouraged. "You never know unless you try..."

Pandora smiled in full support.

Cynthia sighed. "I don't know what to wish for."

"Maybe something like a puppy." Lee smiled.

Cynthia shrugged, she held the bag close and slowly shut her eyes. "I hope there's a puppy in this bag..." she whispered. She then reached into the bag and light yipping was heard and she took out a puppy that was orange with white polka dots and had a pink flower behind one of its ears. "Th-This was the puppy I was thinking of wanting to take out of the bag." she then said.

Pandora smiled. "So you do have your father's imagination."

"Then that means that her imagination can help us win then." Lee smiled.

"It can?" Sam asked.

"Yes, your imagination can be your biggest strength and weakness, depending on how you use it," Pandora explained. "Especially if you're anything like your father. He always had wild and crazy dreams, in fact, without him, we wouldn't have most of what our land has to offer."

"Wow." Lee and Cynthia smiled.

"He's an amazing guy..." Sam noted.

"Oh, yes, he's a brilliant man..." Pandora smiled. "We're very lucky to have him... Now then, let's get started with your training."

Lee, Sam, and Cynthia smiled eagerly to now get down to business to protect their home land and family.

Meanwhile, Mendella was lying down in a large bed with her lover.

"I've missed you so much..." Mendella told Galavan. "These Earth people didn't hurt you, did they?"

"No, only Enrico and Bruce hurt me..." Galavan soothed. "I was so worried about one field trip I would take the kids on and I'd have to eventually turn them in, but I didn't want to..."

"Of course you didn't, they're our children." Mendella smiled.

"I knew it from the moment Pandora alerted me of them still living in the orphanage," Galavan sat next to her again once he washed himself up a little. "Cynthia's so much like me when I was that age... Just shy and easily scared."

"I remember the moment we first met," Mendella giggled. "You were so shy and frightened of me..."

"I was not..." Galavan folded his arms with a nervous smirk. "I just... uhh... Wanted to make sure no other boy wanted you before me."

"Uh-huh, sure." Mendella smirked.

"I'm just surprised you fell for a peasant like me..." Galavan smiled bashfully. "I mean, compared to you, I was an urchin..."

"Yes, but you have a wonderful family and you're lucky..." Mendella soothed. "You loved me for me and not because of who I was... You actually talked to me, danced with me, made me laugh... That's why I wanted to marry you."

Galavan smiled and gave her a hug. "If only these bad guys were gone for good and then we could live happily ever after..."

"Yes, if only." Mendella sighed.

Galavan put his arms around her. "I'm sure it'll all blow over soon... Lee has your strength and intellect and Cynthia has my vivid imagination... She may be an Earth mortal, but I'm sure Sam has a few tricks up her sleeve."

"That's a relief." Mendella sighed out of relief.

"Don't worry, my Venusian Blossom," Galavan cooed as he still held her in his arms. "This will work, I just know it will... Nothing bad will happen."

Mendella then nuzzled against him and blushed, giggling once her face was against his chest.

"How do you think the children are doing?" Galavan asked.

"Being our children, I'm sure they're adjusting back to their natural roots..." Mendella soothed.

"You don't know how badly I wanted to see you again after Lee sang the lullaby we sang before we had to give them up..." Galavan's voice cracked. "It was just so beautiful!"

Mendella soothed her lover as he nearly cried.

"Oh, I just hope they remember what to do..." Galavan took a deep, shaky breath.

"You and me both, my love." Mendella said.

The two then cuddled against each other in their nice, big, warm bed and smiled. They felt like nothing could go wrong.

A servant rushed into their bedroom. "Lord! Lady!"

"You know we gotta stop meeting like this..." Galavan muttered.

"My sincerest apologies, but I'm afraid there are intruders!" the servant informed. "A very big guy who's kind of daft in the head and a scary looking gentleman who looks sickly..."

"Looks like they're here." Galavan said.

Mendella frowned and nodded.

"We'll alert my sister, remember, we were never here." Galavan told the servant.

'It's too late, 'Geller'!" Enrico called as he came in with Bruce. "We're already here!"

Galavan stood protectively in front of Mendella and glared at the two men.

"Where are those brats?!" Bruce glared.

"I'll never tell you anything..." Galavan snarled. "You'll have to go through me first."

Mendella then rolled off her bed and rushed for the door to get help and quick.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Bruce glared, stomping the ground.

Mendella yelped and fell right to the floor.

"MENDELLA!" Galavan cried for his lover.

Enrico held him back while Bruce grabbed Mendella and forced her in his grip.

"Tell us where they are now!" Bruce glared.

"Let go!" Mendella cried. "Let.... GO!" her voice then echoed with a yell.

There was a blast of snow white energy that knocked Enrico and Bruce down. Galavan took Mendella's hand and they ran off.

"Go get them!" Enrico demanded as he was helping himself up. "I don't know how she did that, but she ain't gonna do it again!"

"You got it, Boss." Bruce said before going after them.

Enrico scowled as he looked around. Bruce looked around and looked all around. There were two mice that were wandering the halls and on their way to a rather large hole that was decorated by colorful jewels. Even rodents were welcome in this land.

"Wait a minute!" Enrico exclaimed, getting a seeking suspicion.

"Okay..." Bruce said, then literally paused.

Enrico hit the back of his head. "GET THOSE MICE!"

"What if they got rabies?" Bruce looked nervous. 

The mice were closer to the hole.

"You idiot! Those aren't mice, those two are Galavan and Mendella!" Enrico told him.

The mice scampered faster once their names were given. Bruce bent down and picked up the mice by their tails.

"Do you think I'm stupid!?" Enrico smiled evilly to the couple that transformed themselves.

"What shall we do with them, Boss?" Bruce asked.

"Let us go now or pay the consequences." Mendella growled.

"Oh, really, and who's going to hurt us?" Enrico asked evilly.

"I will!" Mendella's eyes flashed white again.

Enrico found a cage and grabbed it. "Quick, throw 'em in!"

Bruce put the two new mice into the cage and locked the door.

"That will keep you both from causing any trouble." Enrico smirked evilly.

"Let us out!" Mendella demanded. "Our abilities don't work well under pressure!"

"So I see..." Enrico laughed as he carried the cage. "Now tell me... Where are your children!"

"We won't say a word!" Galavan firmly promised.

"Tell us or else we'll crush you!" Bruce glared.

The two mice then held each other. Enrico got up, moved the cage onto a seat he was on with an evil smirk.

"Now if you two don't want to die, you will tell us where those three brats are." Enrico told them.

Galavan and Mendella held each other, they felt they had no choice, so they gave the direct location of where their children were.

"Lead the way..." Enrico demanded, taking the cage and nudged his head.

Bruce nodded and walked to his side as they went to the training room. While they made their way to the training room, the kids were now training with Pandora.


	11. Just Desserts

"Excellent work!" Pandora praised with a fond smile. "Lee, you fight as well as your mother."

"Really?" Lee looked back. "She doesn't look the aggressive type."

"Trust me, you do NOT want to anger that woman." Pandora replied seriously.

"I'll take your word for it, Aunt Pandora." Lee said.

"You're pretty strong for a mortal, no demigod material, but still impressive." Pandora said to Sam.

"Thank you, ma'am." Sam smiled back.

"Now, I want you children to use your powers and abilities responsibly," Pandora told the kids. "With great power comes great respobsility..."

The others nodded to show they understood what she meant and what they should do.

"Who knows what those bad men could do to you?" Pandora sighed. "This land cannot be known by anyone on Earth!"

"Why's that?" Sam asked.

"This land is very personal, you see, we aren't just in outer space or in the future this is a different dimension." Pandora informed.

"Ohh." The kids said out of understanding.

"Yes..." Pandora nodded. "Lee, Cynthia, you are inter-dimensional children and the heirs to the throne."

Lee and Cynthia really liked to hear that.

Pandora heard footsteps of Bruce and Enrico. "I know you are all trained now, but you must go and rest," she told them and pulled a candlestick, making a playhouse appear. "You must go through here and hide back in your orphanage."

"Can't we stay here?" Cynthia frowned.

"I'm sorry, children, but you have to hide, we can't have you running around with those bad guys around," Pandora cautioned. "I believe in you..." she then gently took them by their hands and put them into the playhouse, she also gave them a glowing white pearl and pulled the candlestick again, making the door hide them and the playhouse. The area outside the window was rapidly spinning and blinking colorful lights.

Within moments, the playhouse seemed to disappear out of the room.

"Where are they!?" Enrico demanded. "TELL ME NOW!"

"No..." Pandora folded her arms and looked away. "Do what you want with me, but I will not let you harm those children!"

"What now, Boss?" Bruce asked.

"Tell us or your brother and his cutie pie get it!" Enrico threatened, showing the cage.

"Galavan, Mendella!" Pandora gasped once she saw they were mice and trapped in the cage. 

"Don't listen to him, Dora!" Galavan told his sister. "He can't do anything, he's just trying to scare you!"

"Oh am I?" Enrico asked.

"You're just a cowardly mortal!" Mendella added.

A blue cat that had a white moon crescent on its back and had a curly tail like a pig walked in and licked its lips. Enrico grinned, he then towered over the cat, about to open the cage door.

"You wouldn't!" Pandora tried to stop him, but Bruce held her back. "Leave my brother and his lover alone!"

"Then tell us where those brats are or else these two becomes this cat's snack." Enrico warned.

"Don't!" Pandora cried.

Enrico shook the cage a little to knock Galavan and Mendella loose as the cat eagerly opened its mouth nice and wide, purely hungry.

"They're on their way back to the orphanage!" Pandora cried.

Enrico then closed up the cage. "Good girl." he smiled evilly.

Pandora bowed her head and put her hands to her face as she landed on her knees and started to cry.

"Alright, now back to Earth!" Enrico called out.

Pandora stood up slowly and took their hands, whispering a rhyme, and transported Bruce and Enrico out of the dimension and continued to cry. She then let her brother and sister-in-law out of the cage, allowing them to turn back to their original selves. "Gally, I'm so sorry!" she cried to her brother, feeling she betrayed him.

"No, it's alright, even though the children are in danger, you were listening to your heart." Galavan said.

"So, where did you send them?" Mendella asked.

"Honestly..." Pandora giggled a little. "I sent them miles away from the town the children are... It'll take them all day to get to the orphanage so the kids have plenty of time to rest and train."

"Whew, thank goodness." Galavan and Mendella sighed out of relief.

"I changed the travel spell a little..." Pandora told them. "Yes, they'll still catch up to the kids, but luckily if my math is correct, by the time they find the kids, the kids will be ready to challenge them and save our dimension from cruel and simple mortals."

"That's good to know." Mendella smiled.

"You sneaky little raccoon..." Galavan smirked to his sister, folding his arms at her for tricking the bad guys.

Pandora playfully stuck her tongue out. 

Galavan then pinched her nose. "Nyah!"

This caused for Pandora to giggle.

"You two, honestly..." Mendella chuckled to her family.

"You want in on this?" Galavan teased as he messed around with his sister like he always used to when they were younger.

"Now, now..." Pandora made him stop. "Let's hope the best for the young ones."

With that, the three adults then bowed their heads and sent wishes and hopes to Lee, Cynthia, and Sam on their journey with saving their world for the greater good. 

Speaking of Lee, Cynthia, and Sam, they were now back at the orphanage. The kids were still in the playhouse, the windows were dark and when they crawled out, they saw that they were in fact in the orphanage and they were in the room that they often hung out in. The three crawled out, still wearing their new clothes. Archibald was also in the room, he looked to be in a trouble fetal position and appeared to be traumatized.

"We're back..." Cynthia noted.

"Great." Lee said.

The three children crawled out together, they were amazed and relieved to see they still had on their new clothes. Hopefully no one would notice.

"Archie?" Cynthia turned her head at their bully.

"Get away from me!" Archibald cried in fear. "GET AWAY!"

"Archibald, calm down, it's just us, that evil man is gone, but not for long." Lee assured him, helping him up.

Archibald trembled like a coward.

"Is he crying?" Sam whispered.

"I've never seen Archibald cry before..." Cynthia whispered back.

"Shut up, I'm not crying, only girls and wussies like you cry!" Archibald huffed and turned his back on them, folding his arms. "Bunch of snot-nosed monkeys!"

"Archibald, it's okay to cry, everyone cries, well, except for ones who are truly evil." Lee told him.

"Shut up!" Archibald shoved them to the floor like he used to. "Take that stupid playhouse with ya... How old do you think you are?" he scoffed and started to leave the room. "Gosh..."

He then saw a kid with a thick sweater and bigger glasses than Cynthia's run down the hallway.

"HEY YOU!" Archibald decided to make that kid his target for the day and actually left his three usual victims alone.

"Well, he's not evil, but definitely is a jerk." Lee glared.

"Still is, through and through..." Cynthia folded her arms.

"Guys, you should like do something to him with your powers." Sam suggested rather evilly, but only to their bully.

"I suppose he would be perfect for us to train." Lee smiled.

"Yeah..." Cynthia agreed. "Now, how do we make him come to us?"

"It sounds suicidal, but you should make him mad so then he comes right for you." Sam suggested. "One of you should do it..."

"I'll do it..." Cynthia sighed a little. "He hates me the most."

"Yep, and then let him chase you right over to me and where I'll use my strength to catch him and lift him off the ground." Lee said.

Cynthia sighed and nodded. "I just hope I can run fast enough."

"I know you can, Sis." Lee smiled.

"Aw! Thanks, bro." Cynthia smiled back.

Sam really smiled at that, it was very special and heartwarming that they were acting like brother and sister and now they really were. She was happy for them, so she hugged her best friends and they happily hugged her back. After their hug, they began to start their plan. Cynthia was very nervous, afraid, and worried about running from Archibald. She knew their plan would work, but he was so much bigger and stronger than she was that she was almost scared stiff whenever he would be around. Not as strong as Lee now these days, but still, the situation overwhelmed her. Luckily the three kids were full from their meal from the original home to even think about tonight's dinner on a day that was truly unlike any other.

Cynthia then went into position as Archibald was sitting on the boy he chased earlier and was now reading a comic book on top of him, the boy looked like his soul had been crushed.

"Someone please help." The boy whispered.

Cynthia gripped her collar and came up behind Archibald. "Um, Archie?"

"What do you want, monkey breath?" Archibald growled as he read the book.

"Uh, I have a message for you..." Cynthia looked away nervously and shyly.

"Oh, really?" Archibald asked. "And what does it say?"

Cynthia gulped. "It's not written.... Uhh... Your mother was a swamp monster."

"WHAT!?" Archibald slammed the book down.

The boy gsped, worried for her.

Cynthia started to slowly back up. "Now... Now... Let's not be so rash..."

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Archibald yelled before being stopped or at least stalled by the boy.

"Quick, make a run for it!" The boy told her.

Cynthia ran off as quickly as she could. Archibald shoved the weaker boy and chased after Cynthia, going as fast as he could, that really did it.

"Oh, Lee, you better be ready!" Cynthia was frightened as she ran as fast as her legs could carry.

Luckily for her, Lee was ready and was in position.

Cynthia kept running as Archibald drew closer. "Oh, crackers!" she pouted.

Archibald grinned evilly. "When I catch ya, I'm gonna break those glasses and tie your underwear to the flagpole!"

Archibald nearly grabbed her at some points, which really worried her. Once Cynthia saw Lee, she ran right behind him and Lee jumped out in front of Archibald. Archibald narrowed his eyes and ran for Lee this time, going to hurt him before he would hurt Cynthia, not realizing what he would get himself into.

"Come at me, Archie." Lee narrowed his eyes.

"You asked for it.... Leland..." Archibald narrowed his eyes back as he came closer for Lee.

Lee waited for the right moment to do it and once Archibald was now close enough to him, he lifted the bully up and off the ground. "Going up?" he asked with a smirk, lifting him up and off the ground.

"Wh-What the...?" Archibald grew fearful.

"Surprised?" Lee asked with a smirk.

"Put me down..." Archibald seemed to whine now. "I'm gonna tell!"

"You had this coming." Cynthia told him.

Archibald gaped at her.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore..." Cynthia seethed, shaking her head firmly at him.

Archibald was shocked and didn't know what to do anymore.

"Should I take out the trash?" Lee smirked.

"Take it out, it's stinking up the place!" Cynthia nodded.

Archibald's eyes became as wide as dinner plates as Lee threw him over his shoulder and tossed him into one of the trash cans in the backyard. 

"You can't do this to me!" Archibald whined. "I'll make your life a living nightmare!"

"You've been for ten years and you won't ever again!" Cynthia growled. 

"Let me talk to ya!" Archibald cried out, sounding scared and alarmed. 

Cynthia shook her head and went back inside.

"Why should we even listen to you?" Lee asked.

"Because you hurt my feelings..." Archibald frowned.

"Now you know how it feels!" Lee retorted. 

"You always pick on all of us, especially me!" Cynthia added. "You put glue in my chair, you put gum in my hair, you take my books away from me, you always take my food! Why!?"

Archibald stuttered, he was still overwhelmed by her anger. Cynthia and Lee just walked off and left him in the trash can since they felt he deserved the consequences of his actions.

"Because I like you..." Archibald whispered as soon as the two were gone. He then sighed, now knowing that what he had done to them was wrong and he deserved this to happen to him.

The three friends laughed as they reunited to each other.

"I bet he was shocked!" Sam laughed, commenting about the strength Lee had acquired.

"Oh, trust me, he was shocked." Lee smiled.

"Sorry I couldn't see the whole thing though..." Sam laughed.

The kids shared a laugh and then yawned a little.

"Man, we've had a long day..." Cynthia commented.

"We sure have." Lee nodded.

"Okay... Let's get to bed..." Sam agreed. "Hopefully everything will be okay in your home by the time we get up."

The kids then went their separate ways and wished each other a good night as always.

It took a while, but Archibald finally got out of the trash can after thinking of his actions. The other kids whispered and stared at him.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM!?" Archibald glared at them.

The kids then ran off like cowards, him being the orphanage bully and all. He then realized what he did and face-palmed himself and knew that he needed help.

"Archie...?" Mary's voice drawled. "Why aren't you in bed?"

Archibald looked up to Mary, blushing and knew he was going to be in trouble because he was a bully to everyone. "I-I-I..." 

Mary folded her arms, expecting him to had done something wrong. Arichibald then did something that he had never done, got on his knees and began to tell her everything he's done and also wanted to learn how to be good.

Mary was surprised. "Why, Archibald, this is a sign of you I've never seen before!" she gasped. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Archibald turned his eyes away from her. "No reason..."

"Is it a girl?" Mary prompted, having a hunch.

"It's not a girl, it's Cynthia!" Archibald insisted.

Mary was even more surprised, but she smiled. "Well, first thing's first, you're going to need a bath."

"I agree with you there, Ms. Mary." Archibald said.

"Go wash up and get to bed, we'll talk about this later." Mary told him.

"Yes, ma'am!" Archibald said sincerely for the first time and dashed off to the boy's bathroom.

"Was he sincere?" Mary asked herself out of disbelief. She tried to think about it more, but she shook her head and went straight to bed herself and turned off all the lights as nearly everyone in the orphanage was asleep now.

Bruce and Enrico fell from the sky and finally landed on the sand next to the road with a sign saying that the town was 80 miles away.

"I landed softly..." Bruce smiled.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Enrico grumbled.

"Oops, sorry, Boss." Bruce said before getting off the evil man.

Enrico groaned and stood up, dusting himself clean. He then looked at the sign and shined a light on it. "80 miles away!?"

"We'll never make it there on time if we walk!" Bruce groaned.

"Better start walkin'...' Enrico scoffed as he walked with his 'muscle'.

"Boss, you know that she's the reason why we're this far from those brats, right?" Bruce asked.

"Of course I know that, you buffoon!" Enrico glared.

"That wasn't very nice..." Bruce frowned.

"JUST SHUT UP AND WALK!" Enrico growled as he picked up the pace.

Bruce looked around as they walked off the side of the road.

"And when we get there, make sure that you give the whole town a good shake." Enrico smiled evilly.

"Sure..." Bruce grinned eagerly, the one time he knew exactly what his boss meant.

Enrico and Bruce then kept walking, which was going to be very long due to how far out of town they were.


	12. Sweet Dreams

Galavan kept pacing anxiously, he had his pipe and kept smoking it, sweating and shaking frantically. He couldn't concentrate due to what was going on. 

"Galavan, please, sit down!" Mendella called to him as she sat in her throne with her legs crossed. "I'm sure the children are fine!"

"Are you sure?" Galavan asked.

"Well... I don't know..." Mendella admitted.

"I should've gone with them!" Galavan grew paranoid. "Maybe I can just take them while they're sleeping and bring them right back and we go live on some other planet!"

"Would you just calm down, they will be just fine." Mendella said.

"Don't tell me what to do..." Galavan grumbled.

Mendella then grabbed him, making him yelp, and she forced him onto her lap and she stroked his hair. "It's going to be fine, love... The children are strong like the both of us and Pandora's traiend them... Don't worry yourself so much... You'll make yourself sick."

"Oh, alright." Galavan groaned.

"Shh.... Shh..." Mendella soothed him and hummed her lullaby to him.

Galavan took a deep shaky breath and got comfortable. "Please don't stop..." he whispered.

"Don't worry, I won't." Mendella assured him.

Galavan shut his eyes as Mendella soothed him the way she would soothe their children.

Soon, they all went to bed, Pandora as well. Galavan found himself unable to sleep, so he went against his lover's wishes, he took out a white box, opened it up, took out a glowing red piece of candy and swallowed it, then his eyes lolled back into his skull as he flopped backward on his bed.

Cynthia whimpered in her sleep, fearing the worst about the outcome of this battle of wits, she kept having horrible nightmares. The bad guys hurting her, Lee, and Sam. The bad guys taking over their land and killing their family and all within it. She put her hands to her head and let out a scream that was deafened by her nightmare world.

"Cynthia..." Galavan's voice whispered.

"Go away!" Cynthia cried, feeling he might be another threat. "Wait..." she then opened her eyes and looked around. "D-Daddy?"

"Yes, it's me." Galavan's voice said.

"Where are you?" Cynthia looked around.

Galavan dropped from the sky and landed gently next to her. "My daughter... Why are you having trouble in your sleep?"

Cynthia bowed her head. "I'm worried we'll lose... It'll be all my fault... I can't do anything special..."

"Yes, you can, you have my imagination," Galavan said. "Imagination is more powerful than you think."

"It is...?" Cynthia asked.

"A child's imagination is both their greatest strength and weakness," Galavan then lifted his arms and then suddenly, he was shifted down into Cynthia's age. "Take mine for example..." he gently took Cynthia's hand and led her into the castle to show a very young Pandora, her hair was still white and it was done in high pigtails. "I was always making up my own stories and adventures with my sister... You may not be an inventor, Cynthia, but you can make the world a better place if you try."

"I... I don't know..." Cynthia frowned.

"Just think happy thoughts and they will come to you..." Galavan told her. "What makes you happy?"

Cynthia was about to speak.

"Don't tell me..." Galavan put his hands over her mouth. "Show me... Paint pictures with your mind."

"Wow, really?" Cynthia smiled.

Galavan smiled and nodded, with his eyes shut. Cynthia decided to do the same as him and she concentrated on happy thoughts.

"Okay, open your eyes now." Galavan told her.

Cynthia's eyes flashed open. She could see a royal banquet thrown for the family's victory in destroying Enrico and Bruce, Galavan and Mendella rewarded her, Lee, and Sam for their heroism, it was just happiness all around. She looked around the beautiful and admirable images and nodded to them. She would very much like this to happen.

"You see, imagination is just as strong as strength." Galavan smiled.

"You think so?" Cynthia asked him.

"I know so," Galavan encouraged. "You are my daughter and as long as you believe in yourself, there's nothing you can't do..."

Cynthia sniffled and hugged him. "Oh... Daddy..."

Galavan then hugged her back.

Cynthia sniffled. "I'll try it... If you believe in me..."

"It's better if you believe in yourself..." Galavan cooed. "That's how I became the man I am today, if I can do it, you can too... Just like your brother is a good fighter like your mother and Aunt Pandora."

"What do those bad guys want from us anyway?" Cynthia pouted.

"You'll find out tomorrow, for now, just get some rest..." Galavan soothed. "Just remember, no matter what happens, your mother and I won't love you all any less."

This caused for Cynthia to smile and relax.

Galavan kept her in the hug and started to hum the lullaby to her as he held her. "'Moonlight cups your gentle face  
A parent's wish is for love and grace  
Little one, you are bright as May  
I love you more than words can say'..." 

Cynthia found herself singing the rest of the lullaby with him and soon, Cynthia could sleep peacefully again and so could Galavan. And where they could be ready for tomorrow. Tomorrow was not going to be a normal day for the three kids. Hopefully by the time Enrico and Bruce would make it to the orphanage, the kids would be well rested and ready to take them on and make them back off for good.

Galavan woke up after Cynthia fell asleep peacefully and he could now rest easy himself and tucked himself in back next to Mendella.

"How did it go?" Mendella asked while her eyes were closed.

"Better now..." Galavan smiled in his sleep.

"Your daughter worries too much..." Mendella chuckled.

"After bedtime, she's your daughter." Galavan playfully retorted.

"Oh, fine." Mendella playfully retorted back.

Galavan chuckled as they cuddled again and had a peaceful sleep together.

Enrico and Bruce kept walking, getting very exhausted as they walked. A car was coming down the road, but passed them and dismissed their hitchhiking.

"That's the fourth car that wouldn't take us!" Bruce frowned.

"Ya think I can't count?" Enrico scoffed.

"Maybe we should take one by force." Bruce suggested.

"That would work if you would just stop a car already!" Enrico glared at him.

Bruce nodded and then walks into the road to catch the next car coming by. Enrico waited anxiously. There was a van with a jovial woman, humming to herself merrily as she was driving uptown, about to pass Enrico and Bruce.

"Alright, time for this woman to make her stop." Bruce smiled evilly.

The woman hummed, she then actually did stop for a moment, because of a sign.

Bruce came to her side through the window. "OUTTA THE CAR!"

"What!?" the woman hiccuped.

Bruce grabbed the woman and tossed her out of the car, allowing Enrico to run into the car with him, once they were both in, they then drove off to the orphanage, laughing wildly and evilly in victory. The woman was jaw dropped, but she growled firmly. She then reached into her purse to grab her cell phone to call the police. Enrico and Bruce laughed as they stole the woman's car and made it straight for the orphanage.


	13. Visiting Day

At the orphanage, Cynthia, Lee, and Sam were still sleeping, even after it was time for breakfast, they had to get all the rest they could get.

"I don't think anything could possibly ruin this day." Lee said.

"Except the bad guys..." Sam commented.

"Yeah, but we're ready." Cynthia sounded serious this time.

The three then put their hands together and did a cheer with each other to finalize this.

Archibald was hiding behind a wall corner, his hair looked neater and he appeared to be wearing a small suit with a bow tie. He then took out a flower he had found and slowly came behind his three regular victims. 'Well, here goes nothing.' he thought to himself.

"Come on, guys!" Sam told her friends. "We better get a quick breakfast and get ready!"

Lee and Cynthia nodded, running with them. Archibald hid into a closet they ran past. While Sam and Lee ran past it, Cynthia was on her way too, but she was grabbed by her arm and yanked right into the closet.

Archibald clicked on the light and smiled to her. "Hi..."

Cynthia fearfully banged on the door and called for help that she was now trapped with a merciless bully.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down, I didn't grab you to hurt you." Archibald said.

Cynthia scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, right, you're practically the devil!"

"Cynthia..." Archibald had to admit that stung, but he tried to get over it.

"Just stay away from me before I make Lee hurt you again!" Cynthia opened the door and ran off to join with her friends.

Archibald sighed, his flower wilted as it seemed to feel his mood and sympathized. "You will be mine, Cynthia..." he lowly growled, sounding like his old self as he narrowed his eyes. But the question that appeared in his head was how was he going to get her to be his.

"You okay, Cynthia?" Sam asked.

"Better now..." Cynthia panted. "Archie tried to get me, but I got away... I'm just surprised he didn't chase me."

That was surprising, especially since out of all of them, Archibald would chase Cynthia more and usually pounce on her like a jungle wild cat predator. 

"See them yet?" Sam asked Lee as he watched out the window.

"Nope, they haven't arrived yet." Lee said.

"I think I'm ready..." Cynthia said seriously. "I got a little pep talk last night." 

From who?" Sam asked.

"My father..." Cynthia whispered with a delighted smile.

"That's great." Sam smiled.

Cynthia smiled back, she really loved that dream. The three kids then waited until the bad guys would show up and they would put their powers into good use.

"They should be here any minute." Lee said.

"Remember what Pandora taught us." Sam told her friends.

"Right." Lee and Cynthia nodded.

This was the moment of truth, no messing up.

Galavan, Mendella, and Pandora were watching them live from their crystal ball.

"They're ready." Galavan said.

"Oh, be careful, dears..." Pandora cooed, stroking the top of the ball, wishing they could be there right now.

"They know what to do, they can't possibly fail." Mendella encouraged.

"And they won't, I'm sure of it." Galavan smiled.

Mendella wrapped her arms around Galavan's neck and nuzzled against his cheek. Galavan nuzzled back to her, causing another electric spark to come between them.

"Ah, love." Pandora smiled.

"You'll understand when you're older." Galavan smirked teasingly.

"Oh, ha, ha, ha, very funny." Pandora playfully pouted.

Galavan chuckled and ruffled up his sister's hair as they watched the kids.

"When are you gonna stop treating me like a little kid?" Pandora scoffed.

"Hmm... Let's see, you have a birthday coming up, so you have exactly sixty years to go." Galavan giggled.

Mendella hid a giggle herself, amused with their antics.

"Oh, come on!" Pandora playfully exclaimed.

"Rules are rules, Sissy..." Galavan laughed.

Pandora frowned firmly and folded her arms, looking like a child now.

At the orphanage, Lee kept an eye out, it was now time for the kids to go play outside since it was a not too cloudy day and there was no call for rain. The other kids got to play outside merrily and Archibald was inside, which meant the kids could play without being used for abuse, but Lee, Sam, and Cynthia did not have time to play, they had to look out for their arch enemies.

"They seem to be taking a long time to get here." Lee smirked.

"Maybe they gave up at the last minute." Sam chuckled.

Cynthia wasn't so sure, she was sitting next to them with a book in her hands, she didn't seem as scared as she did before. "I dunno..."

"Come on, let's just play," Lee suggested. "I mean, it's not like they're gonna pretend to come as a couple to adopt us and they try to attack us right then and there."

But then there was a knocking at the door.

"You don't think?" Sam asked her two best friends.

"No way." Lee and Cynthia shook their heads.

Sam tilted her head. Cynthia bit her lip.

Mary came to the front door and answered it. "Hello, how may I help you today?" she greeted pleasantly and cheerful as always.

"We are a happy couple and wish to adopt three children." Enrico's voice told her.

"Oh, come on!" Lee, Cynthia, and Sam complained.

"Happy couple?" Mary questioned.

Enrico and Bruce had made a stop at a costume shop on the way. Enrico wore a suit with a tie while Bruce wore a curly blonde wig with some of the woman's make-up and had on a frilly pink dress with a white pearl necklace. 

"Come on in then..." Mary then walked them inside the orphanage. 

Enrico and Bruce followed, bumping into Archibald on the way, they glared to him and walked off. Archibald glared to the two men and just wandered off.

"Okay, what do we do now?" Cynthia asked.

"I have an idea." Sam spoke up.

"That is...?" Lee asked.

"RUN!" Sam yelled out.

The kids huddled together and ran off to their special room, the playhouse they had came in was still there, so they all went inside of it and hid away.

"I changed my mind, I don't wanna do this anymore!" Cynthia cried.

"We have to fight them, but we can't let Ms. Mary think that we've gone crazy." Lee said.

"How do we get out of this?" Sam wondered. "We have to use our imagination."

Cynthia's eyes looked up at that key word. Imagination. Galavan had told her to use her imagination in times like this. She crawled out from the playhouse, looked around, and found a different bag. She then picked it up, found nothing in it, but she shut her eyes and held the bag close. "Please be something to let us make the bad guys go away..." she whispered to the empty bag. When she opened her eyes, she reached into the bag and took out a self help book.

"A book?" Lee asked.

Cynthia looked at the book and flipped through the pages. "'Chapter 9,280: Chasing Away Bad Guys for Dummies'." 

Sam and Lee came to Cynthia's sides to read the chapter and they were given information on how to keep the bad guys away from them and where they would never bother them or their friends and family ever again.

"Wow, that's really how we can get rid of them?" Lee asked.

"Feels so obvious now that we read this!" Sam hit herself on the forehead.

"Thanks, Dad..." Cynthia sighed with a small smile, looking up past the ceiling.

"Come on, let's get to work before Aunt Mary tells them where we are!" Sam told her friends.

The others nodded and they got straight to work which took very quickly for them while Mary was talking with the 'couple' in her office.

"So, what type of children would you like?" Mary queried.

'Uh-Oh.' Bruce thought to himself.

"Just very nice, smart, and strong children..." Enrico made up. "Children who still need parents, but can be dependent." 

Mary nodded, she then took out a box and looked through files of the children she looked after. "How about little Sally?" she offered. "She plays with her dolls and doesn't cause any trouble."

"No, no, no, she will never do." Bruce said in his best female voice.

Mary nodded, she then put the file back and looked for another one and took out one on the infamous bully of school. "How about Archibald?" she suggested.

Bruce hid a snicker at the kid's name, but Enrico nudged him to shut him up.

"He's a very lonely little boy," Mary sighed a little. "Not a friend in the world, he was a real mama's boy before he came here and just wanted someone to fill the empty hole in his motherless life."

"Yeah, yeah, not interested..." Enrico declined rather rudely.

Mary gave him a look, but kept looking. "Well, there's Lee and Cynthia," she brought up. "I think it would be best if those two were adopted together, you'd think they were siblings or something, I can't think of a time I've seen those two apart from each other."

"We'll take them, along with anyone that is their friend." Bruce said in his female voice.

Mary bit her lip. "Well... They have a close friend... Samantha... But she's my niece..."

"This could be a problem, Boss." Bruce whispered.

"Come on..." Enrico tried to sweet talk Mary. "Surely you wouldn't mind if we took her off your hands... You could focus on these other kids and not worry about her being alone or excluded."

Mary gripped her collar nervously. "I don't know, sir..."

"Besides, if we adopt Lee and Cynthia, they'll have to leave their only friend," Enrico said dramatically. "And that would make them and your niece sad."

Mary frowned deeply. "Can't have Samantha sad... Oh... Very well, you can have my niece too, but I expect to have visits..."

"Ma'am, the visits will be to die for." Enrico smiled slyly, hinting to her, but of course, she didn't get it and took it as an expression.

"Cynthia, Leland, Samantha," Mary called into a call button to make an announcement. "Please come to my office, I have a surprise for the three of you!"

But there was no response. Mary smiled as she fiddled with her fingertips. Enrico and Bruce looked impatient.

"I'm sure they'll be along soon." Mary reassured.

"Maybe we should go get them ourselves?" Enrico suggested. 

"Well, there's a room they usually go in since boys aren't allowed in girl rooms and vice versa..." Mary shrugged.

"Would you mind showing us to the room?" Bruce asked in his female voice.

"I suppose, come with me..." Mary stood up, carried her skirts, and led them out of her office.

Enrico and Bruce chuckled eagerly, following her. Archibald saw this too and decided to take the elevator up to where Cynthia, Lee, and Sam were. Mary took the two men to the stairs since the elevator was taken right now. Archibald ran out of the elevator and rushed to find the three kids in danger.

"Alright, now we know what to do when we face them." Lee said.

"This reminds me of that movie Home Alone." Sam chuckled a little.

"If this doesn't stop them, nothing will." Cynthia added.

Archibald came into their room, he was about to say something.

"HUSH UP, DON'T YOU SAY A WORD!" Lee scolded him. "I don't wanna have to hurt you worse than I did before! You deserve what you got, you're nothing but a big bully who needed to be taught a lesson!"

"But I have to tell you something very important and no, this is not a trick!" Archibald told them honestly.

"Get out of here!" Sam argued. "Last time you said that to us, you dumped a bucket of slime on us!"

"I'm not lying this time!" Archibald begged for them to listen.

"We don't wanna hear it, get away from us!" Cynthia said, she then pushed him out the door, backed up, and slammed the door in his face.

Archibald felt hurt, but once again he deserved that, but wasn't going to give up. "Please! You have to listen to me! There are two evil looking men here! One of them is disguised as a woman! Even though I don't think he's tricking anyone." He told them.

This caused for the door to be opened up.

"Two evil looking men?" Sam asked.

"I don't know their names, but I recognized them when they came here looking for you yesterday," Archibald continued. "They were so big and scary... I don't know where you all went, but I envy you... You don't have to believe me, but just listen to me... I don't want you to get hurt, Cynthia."

The three kids were about to scold him again, but they saw he was actually honest for a change.

"I got my eye on you..." Lee said. "But listen, we have a plan, just don't tell them... It's a very long story."

"I won't say a word to them." Archibald promised.

The three kids nodded, knowing he was being honest this time.

"Anyway... Cynthia..." Archibald took out his flower. "I wanted to say--"

"Shh!" Cynthia stopped him as she grew anxious and looked to the back corner of the stairwell's door on the other side of the hallway. "Did you hear that?"

"Oh, no, they're coming, along with your aunt." Archibald told sam.

Sam gasped in horror. "Okay, Archie, you can hide with us, but let us handle this, we know what to do."

"What can you do?" Archibald asked, though seriously curious and not nastily teasing.

"Just trust us, come on!" Cynthia told him, taking his hand. 

Archibald looked to her, he then looked at their hands touching and smirked to her. "You're holding my hand..."

"You can call me a goon later, we gotta work!" Cynthia missed his point.

"Oh, right." Archibald said before being pulled in.

"Man, you're acting weird today..." Cynthia said to him.

"Love makes people do crazy things..." Archibald whispered.

The four kids were then in the playhouse and unknowingly activated the security system.

"Why are those guys after you all?" Archibald asked as he hugged his knees, feeling cramped due to how fat he was and nearly squished the others.

"If we told you, you wouldn't believe it." Lee said.

"Try me..." Archibald rolled his eyes.

Bruce and Enrico came into the room and looked around, then poked their heads through the window. The kids flinched and huddled together in fear.

"Bruce, kill the playhouse..." Enrico demanded since Mary was not with them.

Bruce chuckled, he then rose his foot to stomp on it, but he was then electrically zapped and pushed back against the wall.

"Why aren't we killed with the playhouse yet?" Archibald asked.

"I dunno..." Sam looked around. "Lee, Cynthia, what'd we do?"

Lee and Cynthia shrugged, they actually weren't sure.

"That playhouse hurt me!" Bruce told his boss.

"Ah, ya big baby!" Enrico scoffed, he then charged for the playhouse, but he got zapped himself and was pushed back against Bruce, knocking them both onto the floor.

"Okay, this playhouse must have a security system then." Lee guessed.

"But where?" Cynthia wondered.

"GET THOSE KIDS!" Enrico demanded.

"I CAN'T!" Bruce called back. "I DON'T KNOW HOW!"

Meanwhile...

Galavan had static shock spears in his hands and swished them by the crystal ball and it made the playhouse look electrified.

"Smart move." Pandora smiled.

Galavan smiled back to her. "I'm not going to let my children get hurt again." He then saw Bruce and Enrico trying yet again and he did the static charge dance to push them away from the playhouse.

"Oh, I would just love it if that playhouse had a robot mode." Pandora said.

"Dora, get real..." Galavan chuckled.

Pandora smiled innocently with a shrug.

Galavan then grabbed a bucket of water. "Hope you can swim, kids." he whispered before dumping the bucket all over his crystal ball.

Suddenly, the orphanage windows opened up and there was a flash flood, Enrico and Bruce were washed away and Lee, Archibald, Cynthia, and Sam were riding in their playhouse which seemed to instantly transform and become a submarine.

"Cool!" The kids cheered.

"How did that happen!?" Cynthia panicked however. "We're underwater and in a submarine now!?"

"This isn't possible!" Archibald added. 

The kids looked out the windows as they were going down the street, though underwater, and were surrounded by the creatures under the sea.

"This must be Dad's invention." Lee said.

"Oh, Dad..." Cynthia smiled simply.

"You guys know who your fathers are?" Archibald asked.

"Actually, we have the same dad." Lee revealed.

Archibald gave them a doubtful look.

"It's a very long story..." Sam said to him.

"Yeah, long story." Cynthia and Lee added together.

"I've got time." Archibald said.

Sam nodded to them. Cynthia and Lee nodded back and told their former bully everything they had been through and what they found out.


	14. Escape from Reality

In a room, in the secret space age future dimension, there were about ten seamstresses and they were making battle armor for the family they lived under.

"The armors are almost finished." One of the seamstresses said.

"Excellent..." Pandora nodded. "We also have to be sure the children arrive first so we can prepare our kingdom."

"Yes, Lady Pandora." the seamstresses nodded to her and went back to work.

Pandora nodded back and went to check on things.

Mendella was in the training room, fighting the practice targets in excellence and Galavan was with her, using nun-chucks.

"Still haven't lost your touch." Galavan smiled at his wife.

"Neither have you..." Mendella purred, she loved it when he would fight with her, it always excited her.

Galavan then stopped once he noticed his sister. "Is the armor ready yet?"

"Almost," Pandora nodded to her brother. "I'm positive that the armor will be all set as soon as the children come back."

"That's great!" Galavan smiled.

Pandora smiled and nodded. "They're your children, I'm positive they'll do well."

"I know they will too..." Mendella came to her lover's side, wrapping her arms around his neck again.

Galavan blushed and smirked, rubbing his head against hers.

"Get a room..." Pandora mumbled jokingly.

"Get your own house." Galavan retorted. 

"NEVER!" Pandora proclaimed like a theater actress.

"Well, then that's our answer." Galavan said.

Pandora stuck her tongue out.

"Ah, grow up, you've been a child for 300 years already!" Galavan laughed.

"Don't remind me." Pandora groaned.

"Oh, I hope the children are alright..." Galavan sounded worried like a hysterical mother.

"Shh... Shh..." Mendella soothed her lover.

Pandora also decided to help.

Meanwhile...

"So, let me get this straight," Archibald said to the three kids next to him. "You guys are from some other dimension and these bad guys are after you because they wanna sell you for science experiments and that new tutor was actually your father and you're the heirs to a space kingdom and were sent here through the fabric of time, through the void of space, traveling billions of lightyears, for the sake of your family name?"

"Yeah, that's basically it." Cynthia said.

"That... Is the craziest thing I've ever heard!" Archibald folded his arms.

"Yeah, and you're stuck with us now." Sam smirked.

"Man..." Archibald rubbed his head. "I owe you guys a lot for bullying the crap out of ya... You must be scared of me."

"Ya think!?" Lee, Sam, and Cynthia folded their arms at him.

"Especially me!" Cynthia then spoke up on her own. "Out of all the kids you torture, you just make a monkey out of me the most!"

"And I am so, so, so sorry that did that to you, I just can't seem to find any other way to show that I love you." Archibald confessed.

"And another thing--" Cynthia continued, then realized what he said. "Wait... What?"

"I'm in love with you, Cynthia," Archibald scooted closer to her and looked down into her eyes. "I always have been... I just didn't know how to tell or show you."

"Th-This is a joke, right?" Cynthia trembled.

Archibald shook his head, then forced her lips against his and pulled her into a forced tight hug. She was about to resist, but for some reason, she didn't want to and kissed him back. Sam and Lee watched, very wide-eyed and unsure whether to find this cute or creepy. They got their answer as Cynthia's right foot lifted up like any female does when she's been kissed by someone that could possibly be their true love.

"Should we do something?" Sam whispered.

Lee shook his head, he still couldn't believe though, after the nightmares that Archibald had given them resulted into this. Cynthia and Archibald then let go, smiling to each other, rather lustfully.

"Okay, now they're looking lustful." Lee said.

"Uhh..." Sam blinked rapidly.

Archibald glanced to them, briefly reverting back to his old self. "Take a picture, it'll last longer!"

"How's about we just look away?" Lee suggested to Sam.

Sam nodded and turned away with Lee. Archibald scoffed as he kept his arm around Cynthia.

"You know, you should still try to be nice to everyone else." Cynthia said to Archibald.

"ExCUSE me?" Archibald asked like that was an insult.

Cynthia folded her arms and turned away from him. "Hmph!"

"Okay, okay, if it makes you happy, I'll try to learn to be much nicer." Archibald said.

"Promise?" Cynthia looked at him.

"I promise..." Archibald stroked her cheek.

Cynthia smiled bashfully, she still couldn't believe what was happening.

The submarine submerged and now the playhouse had become like a boat that rowed itself and the four kids were instantly given life vests as they were traveling down the flooded streets of their hometown.

"Oh, my...." Lee said.

"What kind of playhouse is this!?" Archibald was still frantic.

"Oh, no, the town's been flooded!" Sam frowned. "Hopefully those bad guys don't come too far!"

"Same here, oh, and also, when we see Mom, Dad, and Aunt Pandora again, I'm going to have a few words with them, but mostly to Dad and Aunt Pandora." Lee said.

"Nothing bad though, right?" Sam sounded concerned by his choice of words.

"I just have a feeling this might be accidentally be caused by one of them." Lee said.

Archibald looked sick and started to heave slightly. Cynthia gently stroked his back as they waded in the water.

"Okay, how do we get rid of all of this water?" Lee asked.

"We'll think of something..." Sam sighed.

Little did that know, Bruce and Enrico were in their own boat and slowly catching up to them.

"The armory is prepared!" the lead seamstress announced.

Galavan, Pandora, and Mendella rushed into the room and saw the armory had been ready and they were all set, they just had to wait for the kids now.

"Should we summon them here?" Pandora asked.

"Yes, the time is right, commence the spell." Galavan informed.

"Great, and I think we might have went overboard with the water." Pandora said.

"Sorry, I just wanted to make sure the bad guys wouldn't find a way to get to them..." Galavan said once he looked on his crystal ball to see that he nearly flooded the town his children lived among. He then took out a hairdryer. "Okay, summon them back."

Pandora nodded and spun the crystal ball like a globe and started to rub her hands together to make an electric spark and she wiggled her fingers at the top, making purple and green lights emerge from her fingertips and zap the crystal ball. The playhouse boat was now in a tornado force and it was making it rise above the water like in The Wizard of Oz.

"Everybody, hang on!" Lee called out.

Enrico and Bruce stood on the end of their boat and jumped in the funnel cloud as it was going up. The kids screamed and held onto each other as they were rising in the air, the boat slowly turned back into the playhouse. Without knowing, Lee and Sam were now holding onto each other.

"It's almost over, babies, I promise..." Mendella whispered as she could sense her children were in major distress.

The playhouse and bad guys seemed to disappear in the air and that was when Galavan stopped spinning the crystal ball and he blew his hairdryer against the glass to made the flood water disappear.

"Whew, thank goodness that I did that to get rid of the flood." Galavan sighed out of relief. He then whipped the hairdryer by its cord around like a cowboy with a gun and put the hairdyer in his pocket.

"Oh, baby!" Mendella giggled.

Galavan smirked back to her. "Later, little lady..." he told her in a Western drawl. 

Pandora, Mendella, and Galavan then went out front of their castle to wait for the children while the lead seamstress was there with their suits of armor and weapons on standby.

"Are... Are we safe?" Sam asked.

"I-I can't be sure..." Lee bit his lip.

"Okay, you guys make this stop RIGHT NOW!" Archibald demanded.

"It's not us!" Cynthia cried, she was underneath him by accident. "Archie, please get off me, you're squishing my pancreas!"

"Oh, sorry..." Archibald said to her, he only seemed interested in being nice to her from now on.

After it all stopped spinning, all four of them then opened their eyes to see if they were safe and all right. 

"I swear, if we end up in a world with munchkins, I'm using your heads as tether-balls..." Archie threatened as he crawled for the door and opened it, looking around, he then screamed and shut the door instantly.

"What?" Sam, Lee, and Cynthia asked him.

"Th-There's a white tiger out there..." Archie sounded fearful.

"Oh, don't worry, she won't hurt us, along with all the other creatures, as long as none of us be mean to them." Lee told him.

"Really?" Archie asked, doubtful at first as usual.

"Use that brain of yours and listen to us!" Sam scolded.

Cynthia went out the door and cooed to the shell-shocked white tiger cub, she knelt in front of it and cradled it in her arms. "It's okay, Giselle, we're not gonna hurt you..."

"Wait, you were afraid of Giselle?" Lee asked the former bully.

"It was the first time I have ever seen an animal up close." Archibald said.

"Giselle won't hurt you..." Cynthia said, walking over as she gently cradled the tiger cub. "She's more scared of you than you are of her."

"Oh, th-thanks for the information." Archibald said, coming out of the playhouse.

"It's okay, Giselle, you were just scared of big bad Archie, weren't ya, huh?" Cynthia cooed.

Archibald folded his arms firmly, glaring to Cynthia.

"Erm..." Cynthia looked away nervously and shyly. "S-Sorry... Old habits are hard to break."

"Yeah, I guess you got a good point." Archibald shrugged.

Giselle purred in Cynthia's hold. Cynthia smiled and gently set the cub down on the ground, allowing her to have a peaceful day. 

"Are we in space or in the future?" Archibald asked, looking around their surroundings.

"We're actually in a different dimension." Sam told him.

"Say what?" Archibald asked.

"It's hard to explain, but it's true, remember?" Cynthia replied.

"Yeah, remember?" Lee added.

"Sorry, but in case you haven't noticed, I have a listening problem." Archibald smirked, folding his arms.

Lee, Cynthia, and Sam sighed to him.

"We should get going, who knows how long until Enrico and Bruce will be here?" Cynthia suggested.

"Yeah, we can't waste a second." Lee said.

"Lead the way." Archibald told his new friends.

Cynthia and Lee went ahead of him and Sam, rushing to their home.


	15. Friends and Family

"Are they gone?" Bruce whispered.

"Clear!" Enrico smiled evilly.

"Great." Bruce said.

Enrico and Bruce then wandered after the kids, finding their way to the castle. 

Cynthia and Lee hugged their long-lost parents as soon as they saw them again.

"So, those are their parents, right?" Archibald asked.

"Yep." Sam nodded.

Galavan and Mendella then looked to the bully boy.

"Hello, Archie..." Galavan folded his arms.'

Archibald chuckled nervously. "Hello, sir..." 

"You've been making my daughter's life a nightmare ever since you first met..." Galavan said, seeming to had known that despite never being there when it happened. "You put glue in her chair, you put spiders down her underwear, you broke her glasses... But you never meant it... You were just trying to hide your affections."

"Y-Yes, sir." Archibald nodded.

Galavan patted the top of his head. "Don't hurt her again or I'll have to get violent."

"I promise." Archibald promised.

Galavan smirked and came back over to the kids. "Hurry, kids, get in your armor and take your battle stations."

The kids nodded and went to the seamstress as she gave them their armor and their weapons to make the bad guys go away.

"Don't we have plenty of time for them to get here?" Archibald asked.

"Yes, but it's best to get ready now so we won't have the last minute for them to get adjusted," Mendella explained. "We have to go over a few things first."

"Yes, but it's best to get ready now so we won't have the last minute for them to get adjusted," Mendella explained. "We have to go over a few things first."

"Yes, ma'am." Sam saluted.

"Dad, what if we lose?" Cynthia frowned.

"We won't lose, remember what I told you when you were asleep last night." Galavan soothed, he knew she was going to worry, after all, she mostly took after him.

"Yeah, you're right, Dad." Cynthia said.

"It's going to be okay..." Galavan cooed. "I believe in you, I always have and I always will." 

Cynthia hugged him, nearly crying.

"Here you go, Sis." Lee said, handing Cynthia a tissue.

Cynthia took the tissue, she dried her eyes and blew her nose, sounding like a horn.

"They're so much like you two." Pandora smiled at her brother and sister-in-law.

Galavan and Mendella smiled back very fondly.

"Yes, and they are the greatest gifts we could ever be given." Galavan agreed.

"Indeed." Mendella smiled.

Cynthia got over her tears.

"All right, we got time, but we still need to get ready, remember, children..." Galavan told them. "You all look hungry though."

"We sure are." The four kids said.

"What's cookin'?" Archibald asked.

"What are hungry for, dear?" Pandora bent down to his height.

Archibald wondered why she would ask that and gave a shrug. "I dunno... Some mackerel?"

"That's why his breath smells fishy all the time!" Cynthia concluded.

"Um, maybe something new could be nice." Archibald said.

"Just tell me what you want." Pandora suggested.

Archibald saw that the cooks already had food prepared. "Uh, but..."

Pandora took his hand and took him and the others into the dining room.

"What is it?" Archibald asked.

"What do you like to eat?" Mendella replied.

"Anything you like to eat, it will appear." Galavan said.

Archibald rolled his eyes.

"You dare question our father!?" Cynthia demanded.

Archibald's eyes widened, he then looked back to the silver canister. "Come on, pizza!" he hoped and then removed the top to see there was a meat lover's pizza right in front of him. "Wow, a meat lover's pizza!" he cheered.

Galavan and Mendella smiled. The kids then ate their food, hopefully and luckily enough time before they would fight off Enrico and Bruce.

"This is so amazing." Archibald smiled as he ate his meat lovers pizza.

The family and friends then did a quick, but not too quick, afternoon meal so they would have energy to beat the bad guys.

'This pizza is so delicious.' Archibald thought to himself while eating.

Galavan, Mendella, and Pandora ate their exotic foods, hoping and wishing silently that this mission goes well. And where this mission would go well, but of course, would still be challenging.

"Are you two ready?" Pandora asked the children who weren't kin to her.

"We don't have powers, but I'm ready." Sam promised.

"Good." Galavan smiled.

"So, uh, what happens if we lose?" Archibald asked.

"Why, our children will be enslaved of course!" Mendella replied. "This whole dimension will be fractured and we won't exist anymore and that means our children will reduce as well! Children without parents must be deceased to join their parents unless they have their own children to restore their energy."

"Oh." Archibald said with wide eyes.

"No pressure though." Pandora spoke up.

"So, your parents live, but then they die, and if they die, you die with them?" Lee asked.

"Yes," Galavan confirmed. "Plus your Aunt Pandora is still alive because she helped us have you since you and Cynthia were born at the same time."

"Wait, WHAT!?" Cynthia gaped.

"Twins are a different case in our home," Galavan explained. "One of you was born from your mother and the other was born from your aunt."

"Wow, I did not see that coming." Lee said.

"So, Dad, how did you, Mom, and Aunt Pandora...?" Cynthia cringed slightly.

"We'll tell you when you're older." Galavan chuckled innocently.

"Okay, we can wait." Lee said.

Cynthia looked a little disturbed, but she nodded with her brother. The group continued to eat until they would be full and ready with energy for the war.

"That was delicious." Archibald smiled.

"Well, we have a few minutes until we have to go and get ready, so whatever any of you have to do better do it now." Pandora smiled.

"Um, can me and Sam talk for a minute, I have to tell her something." Lee said.

"Okay." Pandora said.

"Alone." Lee added.

"Yeah, Dora, get out of here." Galavan teased.

"You get out of here, Gally!" Pandora teased back.

"Now, whatever you can say in front of 'Samantha', you can say right in front of us!" Archibald folded his arms. "Right, Cynthia?"

"Uh, I think we should leave..." Cynthia told Archibald, leaving with her parents and aunt.

"What? But why....?" Archibald asked before getting of why they had to leave these two alone before getting an idea and decided to join Cynthia, and her parents, and aunt.

Sam and Lee watched them go, then looked to each other once they were alone.

"What's up?" Sam asked Lee.

"Sam, there's something that I have never told you this before and well, since, we're going into a battle I want to tell you this before anything else happens." Lee said into her eyes.

Sam's eyes widened, she had a feeling she knew where this was going, but allowed him to continue. "Y-Yes, Lee...?"

Lee didn't continue on, he just simply kissed Sam with all his heart. Sam's eyes went wider and her face became instantly red. But after a short while, she instantly gave in and began to kiss him back.

"So, uh, Archibald..." Cynthia spoke up.

"Call me Archie." the big boy decided from now on.

"Um... Okay... Archie..." Cynthia nodded then. "Um, did you really mean what you said back there?"

"Of course I did." Archie said.

"Sorry, that's just wow..." Cynthia said. "It was really shocking... I mean, you always hurt me in the past..."

"And I apologize for it..." Archie held her close, making her squeak against his hold due to how tight it was. "I will never hurt you again, Cynthia..."

"Great..." Cynthia chuckled nervously.

"No, I really do mean it." Archie said to her.

"You don't have to..." Cynthia was struggling in his hold, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Really, I'll try with the others, but I promise to never ever hurt you again." Archie huggedh er tighter.

Cynthia let out another squeak, feeling strangled.

"Um, Archibald, I think you might wanna loosen your grip." Galavan suggested.

"Why's that?" Archie asked.

"You're killing me!" Cynthia gasped for air.

"Oh, sorry..." Archie let her go. "Old habits are hard to break..."

"So we've heard." Mendella said.

Cynthia straightened herself out. "Phew!"

"Ah, young love..." Galavan smiled proudly.

"It's so wonderful." Mendella smiled.

"I remember our first time..." Galavan nuzzled her head.

"Guys, why do you do that?" Cynthia spoke up.

"Do what, dear?" Galavan asked.

"Rub your heads together?" Cynthia explained. "Why don't you ever kiss?"

"Kissing...?" Mendella looked thoughtful. "What is this 'kissing', daughter?"

"You seriously don't know of what kissing is?" Archie asked.

Galavan, Pandora, and Mendella shook their heads.

"Well, it's when... Umm..." Cynthia tried to put it into words.

Archie then pointed to Lee and Sam as they kissed.

The adults looked and then slowly nodded. "Ohh...."

"We don't do that here," Galavan explained. "Lip contact is obsolete."

"What?! How can it be obsolete?" Archie asked.

"That's just how things are, dear," Pandora explained. "We usually rub our heads together to find out who our soul mate is. If there's a spark, it's meant to be, but if there isn't, you have to find out how to move on."

They then saw something surprising, there was sparks and magical fireworks flowing around Lee and Sam.

Galavan and Mendella gasped, they had joyful tears in their eyes then, and hugged each other tightly. "Our son's in love!" they both cheered.

Lee and Sam turned their heads, a little embarrassed. But then they looked around them and above them to see the electricity and the fire works around them and were both shocked and amazed.

"Oh, we don't see them for years and they've already fallen in love without us..." Mendella nearly bawled.

"Shh... Shh..." Galavan soothed.

"Dad, what's happening?" Lee asked.

"Why, you're in love of course," Galavan bent down to his height. "Don't you feel like you just woke up after a frozen sleep and your heart is stronger than ever?"

Lee's eyes lit up and widened, how did his father know of how he felt after the kiss?

Galavan chuckled a little. "I didn't necessarily 'kiss' your mother when I first danced with her, but once we realized we were soulmates, I felt exactly the same way."

"Wow." Lee and Sam smiled, amazed.

"I remember the day it happened..." Galavan sighed. "If we survive this battle, I really must tell you the story of how we met someday."

Lee and Sam smiled, looking forward to that. Pandora kept an eye out for the bad guys.

"I know you two are out there and I won't stop until I find you both." Pandora glared while looking for them.

"Is Aunt Pandora gonna be okay?" Cynthia asked.

"Yes, just let her work." Mendella nodded.

Cynthia nodded back. Pandora kept looking and looking and looking until she found of what she was looking for.

"Are they coming?" Galavan asked, seeming to sense what his sister was thinking.

"Yes." Pandora confirmed.

"GO!" Galavan told the children.

"Yes, sir!" the kids saluted.

"Remember your training!" Galavan called.

The kids went to their stations and where they were ready to destroy Enrico and Bruce.

"Those two won't know what hit them." Archie said.

"You got that right," Sam said, then paused. "I can't believe I just agreed with Archibald."

"First time for everything." Lee shrugged to his new soulmate.

"By the power of imagination and combat!" Galavan and Mendella called as they sat in their thrones, looking brave and daring as their children. "WE WON'T FAIL!"

"YEAH!" The kids added in.


	16. Family Battle Plan

Enrico and Bruce were closer to the castle walkway.

"Shall I make our own way in, Boss?" Bruce asked.

"You know what to do." Enrico smiled darkly.

The guards glared to Enrico and Bruce, but did not attack.

"With pleasure." Bruce said before cracking his fingers.

The guards looked rather nervous.

"Can't we just chase them?" one guard asked.

"You remember what Lord Galavan said!" the other whispered sharply.

"Yes? But--" The guard said before getting grabbed by Bruce.

Bruce grinned evilly. "Hey, we're gonna break in!" he laughed.

"This isn't good." The guard said.

Bruce laughed, he made the two guards hit their heads together, knocking them out and broke into the front doors. Enrico came right after.

"Oh, brats! Where are you!" Bruce called out.

"Come out to plaaaaay!" Enrico added eerily.

The kids were nervous, but tried to hide their fear and nervousness.

"We can do this." Lee said.

"Oh, I hope so!" Archie whimpered.

Bruce and Enrico yelled out and ended up in the throne room. Galavan and Mendella had their hands tightly linked together for comfort and warmth.

"Where are they!?" Enrico demanded to the parents. "I know you two are hidin' 'em! So out with it!"

"Yeah, before we have to hurt you!" Bruce glared.

"You can't do anything to us." Galavan replied in a relaxed tone of voice.

"WANNA BET!?" Bruce growled, shaking his fists.

"We'd like to see you try." Mendella seemed to mock the men.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU BOTH!" Bruce declared.

Galavan and Mendella just sat there. Bruce growled, he then ran up to charge at them. Galavan and Mendella looked to each other and nodded. Once Bruce pounced onto their thrones, Galavan and Mendella clung at the wall like cats and made Bruce crash against their royal seats.

"WHY, YOU!" Bruce growled, stomping his feet.

"Way up here, big boy!" Galavan smirked.

Bruce growled and tried to get them from the walls.

Galavan and Mendella zipped away and came behind Bruce then without him even knowing. "Boo!"

This startled him, causing him to jump, but when he landed, it caused for everything to shake and the floor to crack open. Mendella and Galavan then jumped, clinging to the ceiling together.

"You shouldn't have done that..." Galavan sighed. 

"Come down here and fight like a man!" Enrico growled.

"Irony is not your color, darling..." Galavan cooed in a posh female accent.

"I said GET DOWN HERE NOW!" Bruce yelled, making everything shake.

"Oh, I'm not going to fight you..." Galavan said in his normal voice.

Mendella dropped down with a spin in her fall and she landed steadily on her feet and stood protectively, taking out a shimmering violet sword. "I am." she then told Bruce, rather aggressively.

"I'll take what I can get." Bruce smiled evilly.

"Never mess with a Mama Bear..." Mendella growled.

Bruce didn't care that he was going to be fighting a woman, he was going to take her down, or so he thinks so far. Galavan then used this time to let Mendella hold them off and he made his escape out of the throne room.

"You keep fighting her, I'm going after Galavan!" Enrico told Bruce.

Bruce nodded, growling to the royal female. Mendella growled and chased Bruce with her sword. Bruce found a different sword and started to fight the woman.

While that was going on, Enrico was chasing after Galavan. Galavan kept running, then ended up in a dead end.

Enrico grinned darkly and stormed for him. "Now you're gonna get it!"

Galavan looked at him, he then spun quickly in circles and instantly vanished and ended up in a pile of golden and white sparks.

"You have got to be kidding me." Enrico groaned.

"I am not to be kidding you." Galavan said, right behind him then.

"Sneaky." Enrico smirked evilly.

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" Galavan smirked back.

Enrico then successfully grabbed Galavan by his arm and flung him forward, thrashing him on the floor. Galavan grunted in instant pain then.

"But don't think that's going to help you win this battle." Enrico smirked evilly.

Galavan actually looked fearful and crawled backward, further against the wall. "Surely you wouldn't harm a father of two..."

"Oh, yes, I will." Enrico said.

Galavan scooted further back. Enrico stabbed the sword, but Galavan rolled away from the blade and started to crawl between the bad man's legs.

"GET UP!" Enrico demanded, tauntingly.

Galavan gritted his teeth, he was actually unable to get up this time, so he forced himself to crawl as quickly as he could.

"Don't make this harder than it already is." Enrico smirked evilly.

"I won't quit, for my family honor, my parents before me and my children after..." Galavan squeezed his eyes shut.

"Is this going to take long?" Enrico asked.

Galavan knocked him down then, but still couldn't get up. He was really hurt in his legs. "Must get to the children..." he struggled, limping through the floor.

It took him a while, but Galavan finally made it to the children. Enrico was going after him, growling. Lee, Cynthia, Archibald, and Sam had nearly booby trapped the place based on what they read in their book and it was like Home Alone where the bad guys would be hit by practical jokes and karma.

"Alright, everything is set." Lee smiled.

"Perfect." Sam agreed.

Galavan grunted and fell toward them.

"Dad!" Cynthia gasped. "What's wrong?"

"He made me fall..." Galavan grunted. "I've fallen and I can't get up..."

"What do we do?" Archie asked.

"Come here, Dad..." Lee picked up his father in his arms and walked him over to a bed. "You rest... We'll take it from here."

"If you kids are sure you know what you're doing." Galavan said, though he smiled and knew that they in fact knew what they were doing.

"Oh, please don't die..." Cynthia had tears in her eyes.

"I won't die." Galavan assured her.

Cynthia squeezed his hand and nuzzled against him with tears in her eyes. Galavan smiled back, slowly closing his eyes. 

"We better get ready." Archie said.

Sam and Lee already went into their positions.

"Go to your friends..." Galavan told his daughter.

"I can't leave you!" Cynthia grew emotional.

"I'll be just fine, now go!" Galavan told his daughter.

Cynthia frowned deeply.

"Come on!" Archie took Cynthia's hand and ran off with her.

Galavan gave a small, gentle smile and he gave a thumb's up to her and the others.

Everything was ready for when either Enrico or Bruce came in. Cynthia was still very worried since Galavan was hurt and was sure that something wrong was going to happen. Her imagination was being negatively influenced and it made her mind dwell on the worst possible things.

"Sis, stay positive, Dad will be all right, he won't die, we will all make it out of this battle alive." Lee assured her.

Cynthia sniffled and rubbed her eyes as she went off with the others.

"Now, if we followed the book correctly, then the booby traps should be able to give us an advantage." Lee smiled.

"And they'll be gone for good!" Sam agreed.

"I dunno, it looks like they can get away at the end..." Archie scratched his head.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something." Lee reassured.

"I sure hope you're right." Cynthia said.

"Of course I'm right." Lee smirked.

There was growling heard and the kids resumed their positions. 

"Come out here, brats!" Enrico came into the room, but saw no one there and it was quiet, too quiet.


	17. Wild Kid Chase

"Come out or else I'll tear this place apart!" Enrico threatened.

There was then small giggling heard.

Enrico turned his head to where he heard the noise. "GET OVER HERE!" he then ran over and suddenly slipped on the floor, falling flat on his back. 

"Oopsie..." Sam giggled as she took out a jar of grease.

"You okay, Boss!" Bruce said, coming inside before slipping on the floor as well.

Enrico yelled out as Bruce landed on top of him. Both bad guys grunted and tried to get up before they slipped and fell again on top of each other.

"We're up here, you morons!" Sam called tauntingly from the stairwell.

"Come and get us if you can!" Lee added in.

"You kids are dead!" Bruce yelled as he got off from Enrico.

Enrico snarled and followed him down one hall. The four kids were grouped together and went into a door. Bruce and Enrico caught them and ran into the door they went in and little did they known, it was a door that was like a carnival fun house and it had mirrors everywhere.

"What the heck?!" Bruce asked out of shock.

"There they go, get them!" Enrico pointed one way.

Bruce ran over, only to see it was just a trick mirror.

"Over here!" Lee made a goofy face in one mirror's reflection.

"No, over here!" Sam made a goofy face in one of the mirror's reflection.

Bruce and Enrico growled, each time they tried to get the kids, the kids seemed to disappear and just be illusions.

"Yoohoo!" Cynthia and Archie called.

The bad guys looked up, Cynthia was clinging to the ceiling while Archie was dangling from her hold and they cheekily waved to mess with the bad guys's heads.

"We'll get you brats!" Bruce growled.

"Get this!" Archie laughed as he mooned the bad guys.

Enrico and Bruce flinched and growled. Archie and Cynthia laughed as they then continued to get away. There was a splash heard in a distance as the four kids met up and made their escape.

"Get back here!" Bruce ran to where he heard the splash, he opened the door and then flailed his arms slightly

as he saw a large pool that was filled with ball pit balls, the kids seemed to be under it with scuba gear and there were even fish and other sea creatures.

"Oh, come on!" Bruce exclaimed.

"It's just a ball pit, get in there!" Enrico shoved him.

Bruce grabbed onto Enrico with him and the two bad guys were somehow underwater with floating balls and there were sea animals. Archie and Sam were given scuba gear, but somehow, Lee and Cynthia could breathe underwater. Bruce and Enrico glared and started to quickly swim after the kids. 

"Release the sharks." Lee winked at his sister.

Cynthia giggled, she then did rather evil gestures.

"What are those brats doin'?" Enrico glared.

There were rather colorful sharks that came with their own theme music and they came for the bad guys. Enrico and Bruce screamed and tried to avoid the sharks as quickly as they could.

"How long do you think it'll take for the sharks to get them?" Lee asked Cynthia.

"Oh, not long..." Cynthia giggled.

The bad guys tried to throw the colorful balls at the sharks, but the sharks came closer. Sam and Archie took Lee and Cynthia, then took them to a vacuum tube to make their escape. The four kids were on dry land now, instantly drying off and opened the next door.

"Thank goodness that we got away." Archie sighed.

"Yeah, that was a real close call!" Cynthia said.

Sam took off her shoes and a bunch of colorful balls flooded out. The bad guys screamed for help, but they didn't give up, they managed to get away from the sharks.

"Come on!" Lee encouraged.

The four kids then went out the next door and shut it behind them. Enrico and Bruce saw that, then came onto the floor, dripping wet, and they tripped over the balls that Sam had left behind and landed flat on their backs.

"Those brats are really pushing it!" Bruce groaned.

"When I get them, I'm gonna have Kid Stew!" Enrico growled.

The two eventually got up on their feet and they ended up on a very great height like a building and suddenly, the two were flying through the air, but not really flying, just about to fall to their deaths.

Archie and Lee came on parachutes next to the two of them.

"Jumping without a parachute, guys?" Archie smirked. "Seems dangerous."

"Yeah," Lee added with a chuckle. "You could get killed."

"I hate you brats!" Enrico yelled.

"Listen, kids, maybe we can make a deal, huh?" Bruce suggested. "You give us spares and we'll leave ya alone."

"Oh, he wants the spare, Lee." Archie said to his former enemy.

"Yeah, we got spares, but I don't think you want 'em." Lee smirked.

"We do, we do, just give them to us!" Enrico growled.

"Alright, here's the spares." Archie handed one to Enrico while Lee handed the other to Bruce and they pulled their cords, going in the air then. 

Bruce and Enrico opened their spares, only to see they were spare tires and now falling quicker. "Oh, no!" Both bad guys screamed for their lives as they both continued to fall.

"Aw, poor guys..." Archie feigned sadness.

"Yeah, aren't I the worst?" Lee laughed with him.

Enrico and Bruce yelled as they were falling from the great height. They both then landed onto a large jello mold and they flopped around, sticking to it slightly. The kids met up again and went through the next door.

"They're getting away!" Bruce was about to chase the kids.

Enrico held them back. "No, they want this... Whatya say we take a shortcut?" he then smirked as he pointed one way.

"What makes you think that's a shortcut?" Bruce folded his arms.

"I dunno," Enrico deadpanned as there were glowing lights and a sign that was totally obviously labeled 'Shortcut' just a few steps from them. "Lucky guess?"

"Oh, right, duh." Bruce said.

"Come on!" Enrico pulled him over.

Bruce shut the door behind them when they got through the shortcut. 

There was a tropical island like paradise as shown like in commercials for cruises to places like The Bahamas or Jamaica and suddenly the bad guys were in flower shirts with shorts, sandals, and were greeted by hula dancers who gave them flower leis.

"Ooh, I think I'm gonna like it here." Bruce said. 

But this was short lived as two muscular guys that looked bigger than the two bad guys as well as much stronger.

Enrico hid behind Bruce. "What're you waiting for? Fight them!"

"You two trying to hit on our girls?!" The first Hawaiian muscular male glared at the two.

"Um... W-W-Well...." Bruce said nervously.

"I think they were!" the other muscular male said to his friend.

"Easy, we don't want any trouble," Enrico chuckled nervously. "We're looking for four bratty children... Maybe you've seen 'em?"

"What would you do as soon as you found those children?" The first Hawaiian muscular male glared at the bad guys.

"Easy, we would either hurt them or kill them." Bruce answered like an idiot.

This caused for Enrico to face palm himself for Bruce's stupidity.

"Let's teach these two a lesson." The second Hawaiian muscular male growled while cracking his knuckles.

Enrico and Bruce then looked frightened and screamed as they were going to be beat up. The hula dancers just giggled innocently even if two other men were getting beaten senseless by their rough and tough boyfriends. By the time the two Hawaiian boyfriends were done beating the two bad guys senselessly, Bruce and Enrico were now looking like they were ready to give up which is what they were going to do.

"We give up! We won't return to the brats' home world or take over their world or even try to kill the brats!" Enrico cried out.

"Giving up so soon?" Galavan's voice was heard.

Enrico and Bruce then turned to see Galavan sitting in a lawn chair with Mendella and both were given coconut shells with addictively sweet milk. 

"We thought you boys liked to have some fun..." Mendella smirked.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Pandora added as she was at a Limbo stand.

"We're out of here, get us out of here!" Enrico ran with Bruce. "We're running away!"

The two bad guys then ran away and made their escape. The kids were about to stop the bad guys from getting away, but the adults stopped them.

"Let them go, kids, they'll be 'rewarded' in the mortal world." Galavan smirked rather darkly.

Enrico then took out a bomb and threw it at the parents. "GOOD NIGHT, JERKS!"

The bomb then exploded and everything got dark, and Lee and Cynthia yelled out. "MOM! DAD!"

Everything was all black and suddenly, Lee and Cynthia were in their bedrooms at the orphanage.


	18. The End... Or Is It?

"We're... We're back in the orphanage." Lee said.

Cynthia looked around, she got out of bed and saw everything was just as it once was before. The four kids met together and were very unhappy. They remembered what happened and worst of all, their parents exploded and their land was going to be nothingness.

"Are you kids okay?" Mary came to check on the kids, she had heard them crying.

"Guys, we have to tell her," Lee said. "Even if she might think that we're crazy, we have to tell her."

"Tell me what?" Mary asked. She then heard a knocking at the door. "Oh, excuse me a moment, kids... Whatever happened, just try to keep your heads up..." she then went to the door.

The four kids frowned and were on their way back to their room.

"I know what happened, I'm sorry for not believing you all..." Archie said to his new friends. "Someone should make a book on that place..."

"Hello," Mary greeted the couple, cheerful as always, but she sounded tender as she was worried about the suddenly glum kids. "You want to see Lee and Cynthia? I'm sorry, sir and ma'am, but they're a little heartbroken right now..."

"Please, just let us talk with them..." a man said as he came with his wife who was carrying a white cat with a purple bow around her neck. "We have lost children of our own about ten years ago and we'd give anything to let them come into our lives again..."

"Well.... Okay, please come in." Mary said.

The man and woman walked in. The cat lightly mewed.

"Lovely cat." Mary smiled.

"Why, yes..." the man smiled. "She's a treasure to me, so I named her after Pandora's Box."

"Wait, guys did you hear that voice?" Lee asked.

The four kids leaned in. The man smiled, having a glimmer in his emerald green eyes. Lee and Cynthia gasped and happily ran up to the couple.

"I think these children will do us just fine." the woman told Mary.

Archie and Sam watched, they then could tell that these had to had been Galavan and Mendella, but they said nothing. The woman who Enrico and Bruce carjacked was also in the orphanage and she looked very anxious to adopt a child herself, but would wait her turn.

"Oh, please do come in." Mary said to the woman.

The kindly woman giggled and went inside. Mary handed adoption papers to the couple as they joined Lee and Cynthia in their bedrooms to let them pack up and get ready to stay in their old, yet new to them, home.

"I don't get it, Mom, what happened after Enrico threw that bomb?" Cynthia asked.

"It's the funniest thing, Cynthia," Mendella said to her daughter. "While the bomb was being thrown, your father froze time, and we all were teleported back into safe locations. While Enrico and Bruce got away, so did we, and don't worry about our home, we're all safe and sound, and it's all thanks to you, your brother, and your friends. Even though the bad guys are still at large, our home is no longer being threatened and you can come home again from now on."

"Thanks, Mom, oh, and those two guys, were they Cynthia's imagination?" Lee asked.

"Oh, no, those two were my older brother Dan and his best friend, Shawn." Galavan told him.

Cynthia and Lee hugged their parents once they were all packed. Galavan and Mendella signed the adoption papers to adopt their own children, but of course, did not tell Ms. Mary that, and they were on their way. Archie sniffled and started to cry, feeling like he would never see Cynthia again and waved to her and Lee with Sam and all of the other orphans as they were going in a car that drove off and would take the kids to their new home. 

"Congratulations, Lee..." Sam hugged the boy she liked. "I'll never forget you."

Galavan gave presents to Archie and Sam. "Thank you for all your help..." he whispered to the two before going back to the car.

"Those two gifts will, well, let's just say that thanks to those two gifts, you two will be able to visit us whenever you want." Mendella told them secretly.

Archie and Sam smiled in delight. 

Lee and Cynthia waved as they were in the backseats of the car and Mendella and Galavan joined them and started to drive off into the night. Instantly, Galavan and Lee were in good suits while Mendella and Cynthia were in dresses. 

"What the--?" Cynthia wondered.

"Why are we dressed like this?" Lee added.

"I told you, kids, I love the Nutcracker Suite, I see it every year, and I'd like to see it this year with my kids!" Galavan smiled as he drove them to the theater.

"Well, then I guess we'll be seeing a ballet on our first night together as a family." Lee smiled.

"You got that right." Mendella smiled back to them.

Enrico had escaped and were now on a plane with a delayed flight which meant he had to sit for a long time before he could get out of this place for good.

"Miss, how much longer?" Enrico asked the flight attendant. 

"I'm afraid it's another hour..." the flight attendant told him apologetically.

Enrico rolled his eyes. "Where is the bathroom?"

The flight attendant pointed, allowing him to get up and go.

A boy was about to go next after someone had gone before him, but Enrico stopped him and mocked him for being a little kid and went in the bathroom before him, locking the door behind him. The boy was Archie and he decided to plot a little revenge against this man.

"Oh, Enrico, you're about to be caught, but first..." Archie smiled.

After a little while, Enrico came out of the lavatory and suddenly, there were security guards with Archie and his adoptive mother, who was the kindly woman who had called the cops on him and Bruce a while back for carjacking her.

"That's the guy who did it!" Archie pretended to cry to get Enrico arrested. "He told me to call him 'Uncle Santa Claus' and he put me on his lap!" 

The cops then took out their handcuffs while Enrico was now doomed and going to be under arrest and locked up for good this time and he had no way out.

"Excellent acting, Archie." The kind woman whispered to her adopted son.

Archie smiled to her. "Works every time..." he then looked upset to the others to be more convincing, though he hid an evil smirk as Enrico was being dragged off the plane. 

Galavan, Mendella, Lee, Cynthia, and Pandora, now back in her true form and wearing a purple gown with a pearl necklace, got their tickets from the theater and they went to sit down to watch the Nutcracker together.

"This is so exciting." Lee smiled.

"Do we celebrate Christmas at home?" Cynthia wondered.

"We have a holiday similar to, but it's not really Christmas," Galavan explained. "But we do exchange gifts, sing songs, and of course, have a glorious feast after we tell each other what we are appreciative of. As soon as we get home, it'll be time to celebrate."

"Cool!" Lee and Cynthia said at the same time. "Jinx!"

"They're just like you guys." Mendella giggled.

"Yeah," Galavan and Pandora then said at the same time and smirked to each other. "Jinx!"

The family laughed together before the lights dimmed and the music was starting to signal the dancers to come on stage and start the show.

'This has got to be the best night ever.' Lee thought to himself with a smile.

Galavan was quietly explaining the story to Pandora and Mendella before the ballerinas would come out with the children or the Mouse King's appearance. Pandora and Mendella tried very hard to remember that and that way, the story would make sense to them. They had heard Galavan talk about this production all the time, but they never actually saw it with him. Lee and Cynthia also grew up with the story, but they never actually got to see it, so that made it even more exciting for them. The ballet was starting to be very exciting for them all.

It was truly the best night ever for all of them. Cynthia and Lee enjoyed it very much, feeling like they were in the moment and really there. The Mouse King arrived and started to fight the Nutcracker Prince for Clara. Cynthia gasped and squeezed her father's hand for protection. Galavan placed his right hand over his daughter's hand to assure her.

Cynthia had tears of fear in her eyes, but she felt a lot better. Galavan smiled, putting his arm around her for comfort. The rest of the ballet was intense magical and romantic. When the play ended with the Nutcracker Prince and Clara going on a sleigh ride back home, the audience happily clapped and cheered for the dancers. 

"Merry Christmas, kids..." Galavan smiled to his children.

Lee and Cynthia even gave standing ovations to the performers.

After they all left the theater, the vehicle seemed to had changed into a royal horse-drawn carriage. 

"What...?" Lee and Cynthia were surprised, just meeting their biological father had given them a wonder and lifetime of experiences they could not dare imagine possible.

"Galavan?" Mendella asked.

"What? I thought we could travel back home in style." Galavan answered honestly.

"Oh, you..." Pandora sighed to her brother, though not annoyed.

"This is so amazing, we just--" Cynthia said as she climbed in with Lee, then saw the horses were purple. "What kind of horses are these!?"

"Oh, you've seen the Wizard of Oz, haven't you?" Galavan smirked. "This is the horse of a different color you always hear about!"

Cynthia and Lee laughed once they climbed into the carriage with their family to go home for the night. 

"This is so amazing." Lee smiled.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Bro." Cynthia smiled.

Galavan had the horses go, putting on a black top hat. Mendella and Pandora smiled, this was going to be such a sweet, warm, and fuzzy happy ending for all of them. And as for Sam, well, both she and Archie truly could visit their friends whenever they wanted The kids fell asleep on the way to their home as Galavan drove them home.

Sam looked out the window, she wanted to visit Lee again so bad, but she decided to wait until they would all get settled in. Archie was the same way, especially after he was given the warm and comforting mother he had always wanted after he lost his own. Everything seemed to go just fine with happy endings for them all, well, not all of them, Bruce and Enrico were still being sent to prison.

Enrico and Bruce vowed revenge, but hopefully, that wouldn't be for a long, long time. Lee and Cynthia were placed into their rightful rooms which were empty and white with large beds. However, when they would wake up, they would be given the rooms of their dreams that would fill their world with even more color and excitement. And where they could always see Sam and Archie, short for Archibald again, once in a while.

"Our children are finally home..." Mendella smiled as she was lying against Galavan in their large bed together. 

"Mm-hmm..." Galavan smiled proudly. "We can all now put our minds at ease now... We shall alert the other people tomorrow before our welcome home feast and perhaps, try this holiday known as Christmas."

"Indeed, I hear it's the most magical time of the year." Mendella smiled.

Galavan smiled, rubbing his head against hers again. "I hear of it, but have never celebrated..."

"Well, now we can." Mendella smiled.

Galavan agreed. The two then continued to cuddle with each other until they eventually fell asleep.


	19. Happily Adopted

When Lee and Cynthia woke up in their new bedrooms, they saw that the rooms were their favorite colors and had everything that they loved to do in their spare time in the room with them. It was truly an amazing sight and the rooms were the rooms of their dreams. The puppy that Cynthia even dreamed up was lying on her bed and licked her nose once it saw she was awake. 

"Awww! Hey there, girl." Cynthia smiled.

The puppy yipped with a smile and nuzzled against her.

Cynthia giggled, she then hugged her new puppy as she looked around her new room and really loved what she saw, there were books, a computer, a window with a view to the outside world, and there were blank notebooks and sketchpads everywhere. "I wonder how Lee is doing in his room." she said.

Lee had a hard time waking up because his bed was so comfortable and cushy, a lot more than his bed in the orphanage. Eventually, he did wake up to see the room was now his favorite color and had exercise equipment in it with different kinds of balls for sports, and there were books nearly in every corner.

"This is so awesome!" Lee exclaimed.

Galavan and Mendella were in their seats at the dining room table.

"Sounds like the children love their rooms..." Galavan smiled as he poured a red liquid into two cups and handed Mendella the other one.

"Indeed..." Mendella agreed.

The two clinked their cups together and sipped the sweet nectar of their home world.

"And they should be coming out in five.... four... three... two... one." Galavan smiled.

"Good morning, Mom and Dad!"

Galavan and Mendella smiled, sipping their drinks. "Good morning, Lee and Cynthia." they greeted back. Lee and Cynthia sat in their respective seats.

"So, how did we sleep last night?" Mendella asked.

"Those beds are like sleeping on clouds." Lee smiled.

"Only the best for my little prince and princess." Galavan smiled.

Silver canisters were brought to the family, when they were lifted, they were eggs, bacon, sausage, diced potatoes, pancakes, and waffles.

"Mmmm." Lee and Cynthia said, looking hungry.

"Cheers!" Mendella and Galavan beamed, clinking their glasses again.

Lee and Cynthia were given the sweet nectar as well, they took their drinks, and smiled in deep approval. The drink was very sweet and danced on their taste buds.

"Wow, Mom, Dad, what's this drink called?" Lee smiled.

"It's a sweet nectar of our home," Galavan smiled proudly. "We never had a name for it before."

"Really?" Cynthia asked. "Well then, what about the food?"

Galavan and Mendella looked to her, then glanced to each other, but then back to her again. 

"Waffles, pancakes, eggs... What do you call it?" Mendella giggled.

"This nectar's really good though," Cynthia smiled. "It's like all the sweetest fruits on the earth came together, got wrapped in sugar and honey, and the juice was mixed together!"

"I think we'll call this nectar 'sweet fruit juice'." Lee smiled.

"That's a wonderful name." Mendella said.

Galavan wrote that down so he wouldn't forget it.

The family had their breakfast, and after they ate, they were at a tall balcony. There were many citizens gathered by the castle.

"People of our bestowed land!" Galavan called to them. "I give you our returning children!"

The many citizens all then cheered as soon as they saw Lee and Cynthia. Lee and Cynthia smiled. They were finally home and they knew where they had truly belonged and that was all that mattered to them.

'I just know that we'll live happily ever after.' Lee tought to himself.

Pandora hugged her niece and nephew. There was to be a ceremonial banquet with a dinner for everyone in the land.


	20. Ballroom Blitz

Cynthia and Lee were being measured for a dress and a suit, after the seamstress nodded, getting their measurements, she went to her room with her fellow seamstresses and they set straight to work.

Galavan came into the room and sat down in an ottoman, looking to them. "Twenty years ago, my family and I were invited to a debutante ball to meet the owners' only daughter who was a very lonely countess and really needed a friend. Pandora pressured me into asking her out, and little did we know, it worked like a charm, and I danced with that countess and became her first and only friend... That countess was your mother, the true bell of the ball."

"How romantic." Cynthia smiled.

"That's a lovely story, Dad." Lee said.

Galavan smiled back to them. "Yes, I'll never forget that... I was so nervous though... I mean, she was a countess and I just lived underground..."

"We understand, Dad." Lee said.

"Oh, and we had the liberty to invite your friends as well." Galavan informed them.

Lee and Cynthia smiled to that. "Did they say yes?"

"We'll find out later tonight, but I'm certain they'll agree." Galavan chuckled.

"Wahoo!" Lee and Cynthia smiled.

Galavan giggled to their excitement and cheered with them.

"We better get ready then." Lee smiled.

"The seamstresses are making your outfits, shouldn't take too long..." Galavan smiled and then hugged his children. "Oh... It was so painful the night we had to give you two up..."

"We could imagine how painful it was." Lee said.

"So, this Mr. Geller thing, why did you keep it a secret?" Cynthia asked.

"I had to for your protection," Galavan explained. "It was a year after we'd given you up and betrayers of a different land had come down after they found out where you were. After they escaped to track you all down, Pandora and I decided to go after them, but we needed disguises, so I posed as an out of work school tutor while Pandora, loving cats and all, became my domesticated pet. I wasn't sure if you had been adopted or not, so we traveled for nine years just to find you all, but Pandora finally found out you had been staying in the same orphanage you were sent to by your mother and I. I also saw that the last tutor you all used to have had just quit, so I decided to step in and put my disguise to work. Since you didn't allow pets in your orphanage, I asked Pandora to stay in Leisure Towers until I would get back. After about a week or so, I'd gain your trust and I'd adopt you as my own children and tell you the truth. Only half of my plan worked if you recall."

"Yeah, sorry about eavesdropping, I was just curious." Lee said.

"Oh, I don't blame you..." Galavan soothed. "You must've been so scared..."

Lee nodded and hugged his father again.

"Thanks, Dad... For everything..." Cynthia sounded blessed.

"Anything for my children..." Galavan smiled. "And my childrens' children, and so on and so forth, what have you."

"Well, we'll be sure to tell you if we ever get married or have children." Lee said.

"I appreciate it." Galavan said to them.

Lee and Cynthia smiled back.

The whole castle was being cleaned up and made to look its best for the guests as Lee wore a forest green suit that complimented his eyes, and he had a black tie with it, wore black shorts, and black dress shoes. Cynthia wore a violet dress that complimented her eyes, wore white gloves, and had hot pink slip-on shoes.

"You both look amazing." Mendella smiled.

"We picked them out ourselves." Lee and Cynthia giggled.

Mendella laughed with them. "I hope you both enjoy the ceremony."

"I think we will, Mom." Lee smiled.

Mendella smiled, she sniffled, then went to meet Galavan at the door to welcome their numerous guests.

"It's like we're in a fairy tale." Lee smiled.

"Someday my prince will come, once upon a dream..." Cynthia giggled.

The people of the land smiled and gave greetings to the family, but more especially to Lee and Cynthia and welcomed them back home. Sam and Archie had arrived as well. Sam was wearing an icy blue gown with a silver tiara, and had on white opera gloves, with black shoes. Archie wore a black suit with a bow tie, matching pants, and dress shoes. His hair seemed to be neatly combed down.

"This is like a dream come true." Sam smiled.

Archie was mumbling to himself over some rules his new adoptive mother gave him. "Sit up straight... Shake the gentleman's hand... Kiss the back of the lady's hand... Give her a drink... Ask her to dance during a slow song... Try not to be too forward... Sit up straight... Shake the gentleman's hand..."

'Wow, his adoptive mom sure did give him a lot of rules to remember.' Sam thought to herself.

"Okay, I can do this, I'm ready..." Archie took a deep breath. "Just stay calm..."

"Hi, Archie, glad ya could make it!" Cynthia beamed to him.

Archie let out a small yelp, but then quickly smiled to her. "H-Hey, Cynthia... Oh, wow..." he looked at her outfit. "Look at you... You look... Amazing..."

"Thank you," Cynthia smiled with a blush and then saw what Archie was wearing. "Wow, you look...Wow."

Archie chuckled nervously.

"Oh, Archie, good to see you again..." Galavan greeted, coming over and stepping between the boy and his daughter, his paternal instincts flaring up.

"Yes, sir..." Archie looked wide-eyed to Galavan.

"Dad!" Cynthia whined.

"I'm just making sure he's behaving, Cynthia..." Galavan said, looking down to her.

"Oh, don't worry, I'll behave, sir... "Archie promised.

"Yeah! Bye, Dad!" Cynthia tried to push her father out of the way.

"Okay, okay, I'll leave you two alone." Galavan chuckled, leaving the two alone.

"Thank you..." Cynthia sighed in relief.

"Just stay out of trouble..." Galavan then said sharply.

Archie then gulped, but nodded his head. Galavan nodded back and drifted off.

"Sorry about that..." Cynthia smiled apologetically and nervously.

"It's okay, he's just making sure that you're all right after all I've put you, Lee, and Sam, mostly you, through at the orphanage." Archie said.

"You were always such a handful..." Cynthia sighed. "You wanna sit at our table? Aunt Pandora has an announcement and then we'll have a feast."

Archie smiled and accepted her invitation. "I'd like that."

Cynthia and Archie then met Lee and Sam who were already sitting at one table reserved for just the four of them.

Once they got to the table, Cynthia and Archie sat down. Archie held out the chair for Cynthia, allowing her to sit down first, he then sat down himself with his hands on the table together and he was sitting up straight.

'Alright, now we just have to wait for Aunt Pandora's announcement.' Lee thought to himself.

Sam looked eager and anxious for the announcement to start because she was rather hungry.

"Your hair looks different..." Cynthia noticed.

"My mother combed it..." Archie smiled sheepishly.

"Well, it's a nice look." Cynthia smiled.

Archie smiled bashfully in response. They all then heard the clinking from a glass to see Pandora. The others then stopped their individual conversations and looked to the white-haired woman.

"Pardon me," Pandora told the others. "I hate to interrupt our feast, but I just wanted to say how thankful I am and proud I am of my brother's children and their friends. Without them, our world would be an empty void of nothingness and we would have broken dreams with no future... Thank you, babies for saving our world and finding out where you truly belonged. I love you, Lee and Cynthia, and I always will... And, in case of an unpredictable future, Archibald, Samantha, welcome to the family."

This caused for the four kids to blush, already knowing what she meant by that.

Pandora chuckled. "Cheers to Cynthia and Lee!"

"To Cynthia and Lee!" the others called, lifting their glasses for the childrens' blessing.

There came a harmonic melody in the air that sounded like a peaceful nature song from Mother Earth and Father Time. Mendella came to Lee's side while Galavan came to Cynthia's side. It was now time for a mother and son/father and daughter dance. And where Lee and Cynthia obviously accepted to dance with their parents.

Archie and Sam were left out, but they understood why and were not feeling hurt. The dance was fantastic and where after the dance, Lee couldn't stop taking his eyes off of Sam. Cynthia only glanced to Archie slightly while he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Pandora smiled, very touched by this dance, it made her miss her and Galavan's parents even more, especially with how forward and charming Galavan was for his age whenever he would twirl and dip their mother in the dance. And Pandora could see the look the kids eyes at each other and decided to break the ice, but started it off with Lee.

"You're so graceful..." Galavan smiled. "Just like your mother."

Cynthia smiled, hugging him briefly. "Thank you, Daddy."

Galavan smiled and held her close.

"Oh, Lee, you're so charming, like your father." Mendella giggled.

"Thank you, Mother." Lee smiled back to her proudly.

"So how long have you and Sam known each other?" Mendella asked with a playful smirk.

"Oh..." Lee chuckled bashfully. "About five years now... Feels longer sometimes though."

"That gives anyone plenty enough time to fall in love." Mendella smiled.

"We're just friends, Mom..." Lee insisted, turning bright red then.

"Uh-huh, sure." Mendella playfully smirked.

"So, Cynthia, how'd you meet Archie?" Galavan then asked.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I can't answer your question, because back then, Archie was a bit of a bully towards us," Cynthia explained. "He put itching powder in my underwear drawer though."

"Yes, but that was the past." Galavan said.

"You asked..." Cynthia shrugged.

"Well, they always say if a boy teases a girl, it means he likes her..." Galavan shrugged.

"I guess..." Cynthia slightly rolled her eyes, she did believe that too, but Archie was really painful and brutal. "I'm just glad I don't have to be afraid of him anymore."

"I'm glad for that too." Galavan smiled.

After a while the dance ended and where Pandora was now going to make another announcement related to the dance and four certain children. Before she did though, everyone then sat down and took a break for their feast together.

"I've been waiting for this." Sam smiled.

The feast had a honey glazed ham with roast turkey, buttery mashed potatoes, steamed green beans, broccoli casserole, sweet rolls, and a strawberry chocolate pie for dessert.

"Mm." Sam said.

The kids ate their food, but not too much or too little.

A very slow, yet romantic song played from the orchestra.

Archie gulped, he gripped his collar and walked over to Cynthia's side. "Cynthia... Would you like to...? I mean, if you want to, I won't make you, but if it's okay... Would you... Would you... Uhh..."

"Sure, Archie, I'll dance with you..." Cynthia smiled, she stood up from her seat, took his hands, and moved out on the dance floor with him.

"R-Really? I mean, great." Archie smiled.

Cynthia chuckled and danced with him. Lee asked Sam to dance, not having as much trouble as Archie and was able to finish his question and soon, the two were also on the dance floor. Galavan and Mendella smiled fondly to their children as they held each other in warmth and comfort as always. As Lee and Cynthia danced with their new partners for life, they knew that they were going to live happily ever after because they found out where they had truly belonged and that was all that mattered.

The End


End file.
